The Humanistic Defect
by TeamPiper
Summary: "I'm ace." "You're... You're what?" "Ace- asexual. I don't-" "-feel sexual attraction towards anything. Of course I know was asexuality is; I have a Tumblr." What was supposed to be a simple high school romance between theatre kids Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase quickly derails into something far more complicated than either of them ever could have anticipated.
1. Magic to Do

**Let's give this a try! Tell me what you think. I promise, this story gets better with age.**

In Manchester, New Hampshire there's an old theater. It's not like one of those movie theaters where sex crazed teenagers can place themselves conveniently out of sight and passionately make out with one another hidden in the back row. This was a _live_ theater. Where a small chandelier hangs from the large, circular ceiling, shining an easy light over the house covered in dark, maroon velvet seats. A golden design snakes up and around the proscenium, perfectly framing the charcoal black stage. Hanging above the stage are rows and rows of different colored lights, all controlled by a board sitting in the balcony.

To most people this theater is a place to watch a show, escape for a few hours, or conquer a first date.

But for many people, this theater is home. It's where people shared their first kiss; their first solo; their first mic check; their first audition….

And for others, like Percy Jackson, it's where they first fell in love.

Keep in mind, this was not Percy's first time performing at Manchester Regional Theatre (or MTR, to those too lazy to pronounce the extra few syllables). He'd been a regular cast member since he was in the 8th grade, and after three years of exploring the old building, he felt as if he already met everyone that was worth knowing.

But then he heard the whispers.

 _"Did you hear that Annabeth's coming back-?"  
_

 _"She was going stuff at Central but because it's Summer break-"  
_

 _"Well, good for her. She deserved to get better parts. Got kinda screwed over while she was here-"  
_

After hearing so much about this Annabeth character, Percy elected to ask his best friend of two years, Jason Grace, about the situation.

"Hey Jase," Percy casually investigated, carefully setting his music binder on one of the arms of the chairs, and trusting it to stay balanced. "Who the hell is this Annabeth chick everyone is talking about?"

"Well," Jason began, running his hands through his light blonde hair. "She did shows here for a while but left to do more stuff at her school."

"That's it? That's all there is to her?"

"Yeah man, what did you expect? Not like she won the Nobel Prize or anything. Although, she's kind of a nerd, so I wouldn't be surprised if she was at least working on that…"

"I don't know, I guess I just wanted to know why everyone making such a big deal about her. I mean, is she really that talented?"

Jason shrugged, clearly not too terribly interested in the conversation. "Eh, she's not bad by any standards. She's pretty close with Piper McLean- they go to the same school, I think. If she's Piper's friend, she obviously can't be _hideous_... I don't know, I don't remember her too well, but she struck me as a pretty cool person. Hey can you go over that time step with me-?"

 _I just don't see what the big deal is_ , Percy thought to himself. _I mean, she's one chick. What makes her all that special?  
_

It wasn't until the third rehearsal that Percy finally got to form his own opinion on this girl he had heard all too much about.

As soon as Percy walked into the auditorium, a heat wave hit him in the face.

 _Great_ , he thought. _We get to rehearse in this.  
_

The July weather in New Hampshire was never too dreadfully hot, but because the beloved theater had no air conditioning, the little heat they had would always take a toll on the actors.

Percy had just sat his black rehearsal bag down on one of the seats, and started looking around for Devon when he heard a loud voice from behind him.

"You like Batman?" The voice said. Whipping around in surprise, Percy found himself looking at a girl who was maybe a year or so older than himself, but probably a foot shorter. He didn't take notice of her height though… Or her weight, or her hair color. No, the only thing Percy was able to notice were her eyes. They were an unfamiliar shade of grey that he had never seen on a person until now.

"Um, I guess..." Percy said, confusion ringing through his voice.

 _How did she...  
_

 _Your shirt, dumb ass._

"Well," she started, grey eyes looking up at him, "If you're Batman, I get to be Robin."

Before he had the opportunity to question why this strange girl he'd known for all of 30 seconds was essentially implying that they were now best friends, Percy corrected, "Well, technically there is a female Robin-"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, cutting him off. "Stephanie Brown. But..."

By that point Percy had stopped listening; he was far too busy trying to comprehend how this girl- a rather pretty girl, he may add- actually knew anything about something as lame as Batman.

"Wait," he said, halting her mid-sentence, "How do you know that? I've never met anyone who knows who Stephanie Brown is."

She looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry," she apologized, "Sometimes I just become obsessed with certain things and just can't shut up about that thing until I learn every single last detail about it; I only just got over my Batman phase. But I can see that I have sufficiently humiliated myself on my first day already, so I'll just shut up and leave."

She started to turn away, somewhat embarrassed, when Percy grabbed her shoulder and spun her back around.

"No, no, no, no" he laughed, "Don't apologize. I'm just surprised, I guess."

"The secret to humor-"

"-is surprise," Percy finished for her. "Aristotle."

She gave him a nervous smile. "Sorry, I usually wait until the second day to quote Greek philosophers… I'm Annabeth, by the way."

"Oh!" Percy realized, his brain finally putting all the pieces together. "I know who you are!"

She flashed him a skeptical look as she said, "It's kind of creepy that you know..."

Feeling the blush running up through his cheeks, Percy explained, "Oh, yeah yeah. Sorry, I guess everyone's just been talking about you coming back. It's kinda hard to _not_ have heard of you by now."

"Well, all good things I hope," she lightly laughed out. Her mouth slightly curved up into a soft smile as she said "I'm gonna go catch up with Piper. She's gonna teach me the dances I missed. I'll catch you around...?"

"Percy." he answered, filling his name into the blank.

Her grin turned into a full blown smile.

"Percy." she confirmed, giving him one last gaze before wedging herself through the groups of chatting freshman, and trotting up onto the stage where Piper McLean, one of the best dancers at MRT, greeted her with a hug.

No matter how hard he tried, Percy couldn't take his eyes off of this girl. The way her black jazz shoes glided across the stage as she discovered the motions of the dance. Her light ponytail hid the true length of her hair, but the curls exploded out the back as if they were a firework trying to escape their containment. Even in a too-big t-shirt (from when the theatre did _Godspell_ four years back) she still managed to look completely natural.

"Hey, Perce," said a voice, snapping Percy out of his trance. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Nothing." Percy said a little too quickly, averting his eyes from the stage.

But Jason knew his friend too well to just let this slide. He glanced up at the stage, and let out an all-knowing chuckle.

"Oh, so I guess you've met Annabeth?" Jason snickered, clearly knowing the answer.

Percy hesitated, trying to think of something intelligent to retort. The best he could think of on short notice was "Shut up, asshole."

Jason laughed again, "Man, this is gonna be a long summer."

 **Thoughts? I promise, the story line will pick up soon. Please review and let me know how you feel! All critisism welcome. Sorry for any typos! Please feel free to point out anything major to me.**


	2. Close Enough to Normal

**Authors Note: Hey everyone! Thanks to all those who favorited and subscribed! Here's the second chapter for you! When Percy and Annabeth are texing, Annabeth will be in bold and italics, and Percy will just be in bold. Happy reading!**

 ** _July 14_**  
  
 ** _Annabeth-8:14  
Hey! Is this Percy? Sorry to bother you, but I just really wanted someone to rant to about Batman (because that's what all the girls want.)_**

 **Percy-8:17**

 **Yeah, it's Percy. Don't worry about it, I'm always up for a nice Batman rant. This is Annabeth, I'm assuming?**

 ** _Annabeth-8:18  
Oh shit, sorry. Yeah, it's Annabeth. I guess I should stop making the assumption that people know who I am. _**

**Percy-8:20  
Nah, not a problem. So, what's your rant?**

 ** _Annabeth-8:27  
Okay, well I just don't understand why the Batman fandom is so mean to Tim Drake. I mean, he's arguably the best Robin there is. He figured out the secret all by himself..._**

"Holy shit," Percy said as he scrolled down his phone. This girl he had met just earlier today had just sent him maybe a page and a half rant on Tim Drake. Percy laughed to himself as he typed out a response, agreeing with all of her points; yes, Tim Drake was under appreciated, and no, he should not have been replaced by Damian Wayne. Their Batman conversation lasted a solid hour before Percy decided to change the subject.

 **Percy-9:02  
Okay, so you're back at MRT. We're all thrilled to have you back, but what made you leave in the first place?**

 ** _Annabeth-9:06  
*sigh* idk, I guess I just wasn't too happy with the parts I was getting. That sounds hella bitchy, but I'd been working there since I was like, a fetus, and I kept getting annoyed at not getting any parts bigger than the ensemble. You get what I mean?_**

 **Percy-9:09**  
 **Yeah, I know what you're saying. I've only been down there for like 2 years, but I've gotten decent parts. Never a lead though. Those always end up going to Luke...**

 ** _Annabeth-9:12  
Keep in mind that Luke is 3 years older than you. Your time will come, young grass-hopper.  
_**  
 **Percy-9:13**  
 **Yours will too.**

 _ **Annabeth-9:17**_  
 ** _Yeah, let's hope so  
Gonna crash for the night. See you in the morning?  
_**  
 **Percy-9:17**  
 **Night.**

The texting became a nightly routine for the unlikely pair. Frankly, they texted more than they actually spoke. Not that they were avoiding physically interacting with one another, but during rehearsals, they never really got the chance to talk. Percy was always with Jason and the other principles of the show, and Annabeth was always with Piper and the other dancers.

Not that that affected their texting relationship.

 ** _July 26_**

 ** _Annabeth-7:23_  
 _Hey Perce, you'll never believe what happened today… So I was driving with the top down on my way home_** (Percy knew exactly what she meant by this; Annabeth drove a rather infamous yellow convertible bug which she had dubbed Castiel, or Cas for short, after the Supernatural character.) **_and I was blasting N2N at a red light and just as the line, "and this is one fucked up seduction" played some asshat rolls up next to me and asks for a ride AND THE FUCKING LIGHT DIDN'T TURN GREEN FOR LIKE ANOTHER FIVE HOURS IT WAS HORRIFYING UGH  
_  
Percy-7:25  
Holy shit, people suck. N2N?**

 ** _Annabeth-7:25  
Are you serious? You don't know N2N?_**

 **Percy-7:26**  
 **I don't think so...?**

 ** _Annabeth-7:26  
Next to Normal. You've NEVER heard of Next to Normal?_**

 **Percy-7:27:**

 **Ohhhhhhh! I mean, I've heard of it, but I've never like, actually listened to is**  
 ***it**

 ** _Annabeth-7:28  
HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF A SELF RESPECTING MUSICAL THEATRE KID AND NOT KNOW WHAT NEXT TO NORMAL IS?_**

 **Percy-7:29**

 **Whoa, at ease, Annie. I just never really got the chance to listen to it, I guess.**

 ** _Annabeth-7:30_**

 ** _Here, read the synopsis.  
_  
** Attached to the message was a link to a Wikipedia page. Percy rolled his eyes, but clicked on the link with curiosity anyway. Not giving it too much attention, he read the description of the musical that Annabeth would not shut up about.

 ** _Next to Normal_** _(styled as_ ** _next to normal_** _) is a_ _rock musical_ _with book and lyrics by_ _Brian Yorkey_ _and music by_ _Tom Kitt_ _. Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsening_ _bipolar disorder_ _and the effect that her illness and the attempts to alleviate it have on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss,_ _suicide_ _,_ _drug abuse_ _,_ _ethics in modern psychiatry_ _, and the underbelly of suburban life. Characters include Diana Goodman, a mother suffering from bipolar disorder; Dan Goodman, her husband who wants nothing more than a normal life for his family; Gabe, the eldest child who is not everything he seems; Natalie, Diana and Dan's 16 year old daughter who is a piano prodigy, but struggles for her mother's attention; and Henry, Natalie's boyfriend, who gets her into drugs._

As the conversation drew on, Annabeth insisted on making her new friend listen to the "most beautiful score that has ever been created in the history of ever" (her words, not his).

Percy, being the stubborn asshole that he was known to be, kept typing "No, I'll listen to it eventually but there's no way it'll be as good as _Spring Awakening_ "

It wasn't until tech week that they actually got to hang out together..

Percy was sitting dejectedly on the front steps of the theater, the July heat waves pounding down on his skin. He felt the door open behind him, but he didn't bother glancing back to see who it was. He assumed it was someone in the cast eager to leave after a long day of rehearsal.

"Percy?" Said a now-familiar voice. "What're you still doing here? Rehearsal let out 20 minutes ago."

"Oh, hey Annie," Percy responded with little enthusiasm. "My mom doesn't get off work for another hour, so I'm stuck waiting for her to come get me."

"You know, you could've just asked me for a ride," she said, as if it was the most obvious solution in the world.

Percy instantly felt a nervous rush and started mumbling "Oh, no I couldn't ask that of you-"

"Seriously Perce, it's not a big deal" she smiled. "Besides, it's about time you got a ride in Cas."

Despite the warm July weather, the top of that little yellow bug came down. The waves of heat pounded down on the duo, and Percy felt the harsh whip of the air as Annabeth sped down the road exactly seven miles above the speed limit ("They'll only consider pulling you over if you're going more seven miles above the speed limit. Don't worry, I read a book about it.")

She took her phone (which was coated in a Supernatural case, Percy noted) and plugged it into the lime green auxiliary cord.

Unfamiliar guitar chords stung the air, and Percy let out a groan.

"Is this-?"

"Yes."

"But-"

"Silence, peasant." she snapped sarcastically, "As a wise man once said, 'driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole.'"

"God," Percy said, picking up the phone and scrolling through Annabeth's music. It was nothing but musical cast albums. "Is this all you listen to? That's not very interesting."

"I'll have you know that I consider myself to be a vastly uninteresting person."

Annabeth sang loudly along with Alice Ripley as the song continued on. Percy was actually starting to enjoy the score when-

"Hey, Annie, you just drove right past my house."

With a sly smile, she replied, "Who said we were going to your house?"

And that's how Percy and Annabeth ended up 45 minutes away from home on an isolated beach they assumed to be on Lake Winnipesaukee. By the time they got there, the score was coming to an end.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Percy said, looking over at his new friend, "The music is a lot better than I thought it'd be."

"See!" Annabeth exclaimed, obvious enthusiasm in her voice, "I told you it was brilliant."

"But," Percy continued, refusing to be bested, "It's not as good as the _Spring Awakening_ cast recording."

Biting her lip, she blatantly replied, "I wouldn't know... haven't listened to it yet."

In a faux tone of outrage, Percy shouted, "What! Annabeth Chase, I'm shocked! You call yourself a theatre kid, but you've never listened to Spring Awakening?"

She scoffed. "Hey, at least I can drive."

"At least I can reach the top shelf."

"I don't need this kind of negativity in my life."

"Yes you do."

"Okay, yeah I do."

"But seriously, _Spring Awakening_ is a masterpiece."

"Isn't it just about sex crazed teenagers and botched coat-hanger abortions?"

"No! Okay, well, yes but…"

They continued teasing each other until they finally reached their original destination: Percy's house... three hours later.

"Thanks for the ride, Annie." Percy said as he opened the passenger door.

"Thanks for the memories." she replied, sending him that smile of hers.

He watched her as she drove away, the sound of her voice still echoing through his head.

 **Hope you guys liked the second chapter! I promise that the plot will start picking up soon. Also, if you haven't listened to Spring Awakening or Next to Normal, you should. It will help you understand the story a little bit better, but they're also just life changing musicals that have inspired me on a daily basis. Please review!**


	3. Maybe This Time

Eventually Summer came to an end. Generally, this changing of season didn't affect Percy, as he was homeschooled. However, now that he had a best friend who would be in class seven hours of the day, he couldn't help but notice her absence.

 ** _August 13_**  


 ** _Annabeth-9:23_  
 _It's not like it's really that bad, I'm just sick of people being general prick heads, ya know?_**

 **Percy-9:24**  
 **Not really. I'm homeschooled, remember?**

 ** _Annabeth-9:24_**  
 ** _How could I ever forget?_**

 **Percy-9:25**  
 **This was the moment my life was set, the day that I lost you is clear as the day we met**

 ** _Annabeth-9:25_**  
 ** _OH MY GOD_**  
 ** _BLESS YOUR SOUL_**  
 ** _LITERALLY SO PROUD OF YOU_**  
 ** _YAY N2N REFERENCES_**

 _ **I'M SO HAPPY**_

 **Percy-9:27  
No, you're Annabeth**

 ** _Annabeth-9:28_**  
 ** _Nevermind, I take it all back. Get out of my life. I hate you ._**

 **Percy-9:30**  
 **No you don't.**

 ** _Annabeth-9:30_**  
 ** _Okay, yeah maybe I don't_**  
 ** _But unlike some people, I do have actual school tomorrow, so I'm gonna crash._**

 **Percy-9:32**  
 **What is this school you speak of?**  
 **Night, Annie.**

 ** _Annabeth-9:35_**  
 ** _Yeah, yeah, shut your trap._**  
 ** _Night, Perce._**

 _ **September 10th**  
_  
 ** _Annabeth-10:41_**  
 ** _Okay, I finally caved._**

 **Percy-10:42**  
 **Shit, what did you do?**

 ** _Annabeth-10:42_**  
 ** _I listened to Spring Awakening_**

 **Percy-10:42**  
 **OH FUCK YES. IT WAS ABOUT TIME**

 ** _Annabeth-10:43_**  
 ** _Holy shit, why did you not make me listen to this sooner?_**

 **Percy-10:44**  
 **I HAVE BEEN TELLING YOU TO LISTEN TO THAT SHOW THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE FRIENDSHIP**  
 **YOU CAN'T BLAME THIS ON ME**

 ** _Annabeth-10:46_**  
 ** _Relax, I'm just fucking with you. But really, this show is so freaking good. Although, Melchior is horrible and totally my least favorite character._**

 **Percy-10:46**

 **WHAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?**

 _ **Annabeth-10:47**_

 _ **You heard me. He's awful. I mean, what the hell is his problem? I mean, I get it that he's just a fictitious character from a musical, so I shouldn't get very worked up about it, but I am. Like, think about it for a minute. He's a Satanic genius who knows wayyyy too much about sex for a 14 year old boy in 18th century Germany, so he practically rapes Wendla (who has no idea what she's doing, btw), and gets her pregnant. And then everyone dies.**_

 **Percy-10:48**

 **Well, you can't blame everyone dying on Melchi.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:49**_

 _ **Uh, yeah you can… Wendla died because of the botched abortion her Mom made her get because she was an unmarried 14 year old pregnant chick (courtesy of Melchior Gabor). I guess Moritz didn't commit suicide because of Melchi, but he still had some sort of impact on it. He's an interesting character, but a piss-poor person.**_

 **Percy-10:50**

 **If you're calling Melchior a piss-poor person, then you aren't allowed to defend Natalie at all.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:50**_

 _ **Like, Natalie Goodman? From Next to Normal?**_

 **Percy-10:51  
Um, yeah. **

_**Annabeth-10:51**_

 _ **What's wrong with Nat?**_

 **Percy-10:52**

 **Well, she's a genius, right? Piano prodigy. I get why she's hella angsty all the time, with her mom liking her dead brother more than her, but still. Natalie didn't have to get super into drugs. It's her own fault for ruining her life.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:53**_

 _ **That's BS. Natalie is awesome. Sure, she made some mistakes, but who doesn't? She popped some of her Mom's pills. At least she didn't rape anyone.**_

 **Percy-10:54**

 **Agree to disagree. I'm just excited for the Spring Awakening revival.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:54**_

 _ **THEY'RE REVIVING IT?!**_

 **Percy-10:55**

 **YEAH, SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY**

 _ **Annabeth-10:55**_

 _ **I'LL BE 18 BY THEN. LET'S DRIVE TO NEW YORK AND SEE IT TOGETHER, OKAY?**_

 **Percy-10:55**

 **YES PLEASE.**

 ** _October 10th_**

 ** _Annabeth-2:47_  
 _I have a very important job for you; think you can handle it? This is top priority shit up in here._**

 **Percy-2:48**  
 **It depends. What is said job?**

 ** _Annabeth-2:51_**  
 ** _Okay, when I die I need you to hack my Twitter and tweet lyrics from I'm Alive. You down?_**

 **Percy-2:53**  
 **Got it. I can do that. What's your password?**

 ** _Annabeth-2:53_**  
 ** _What do you think it is?_**

 **Percy-2:55**  
 **Fuck... It's gotta be Les Mis semi related. Or Next to Normal. Which narrows it down to, like, 200 things**

 _ **Annabeth-2:55**_

 _ **More like 24601 things.**_

 **Percy-2:57**

 **Boom, already hacked. It's about time you rethink your life choices, Miss Chase.**

 ** _Annabeth-2:57_**  
 ** _Damn, You know me far too well_**

 **Percy-2:58**  
 **You say that like it's a bad thing**

 ** _Annabeth-2:59_**  
 ** _Never said it was._**

 ** _November 28th  
_  
 _Annabeth-9:47_  
 _Happy Thanksgiving, asshat. I guess I'm kind of happy you're in my life_**

 **Percy-10:34**  
 **I'm so happy you're in my life, I literally look forward to talking to you everyday, and I tell you everything and I don't know what I would** **do without you. You're my favorite.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:40  
Shit, if I knew you were gonna say something that meaningful I would've thought of something better than "Happy Thanksgiving, asshat"  
But I don't know what I'd do without you either. **_

"DUDE WHY HAVE YOU NOT PORKED HER YET?" Jason shouted after Percy showed him the text messages a few days later.

Percy felt his cheeks turn bright red as he choked out the words "Excuse me?"

"You heard me right" Jason remarked, "You guys are so into each other it hurts."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Percy muttered awkwardly, the blush on his face turning redder by the second.

"Oh come on, Perce!" Jason exclaimed, "I mean, you love her, right?"

That was a question Percy grappled with everyday. Was he in love with Annabeth? He was only 16, did he even know what love actually was? He only really saw her once a week for rehearsals. She had a whole life outside of him. And yet, he felt like he knew every detail about her. He knew her favorite song (Carry on Wayward Son), favorite color (yellow), thoughts on cats vs. dogs ("any dog less than 50 pounds is a cat, and cats are pointless.")... But he also knew other things. Things he was sure she'd never told anyone else. He felt he could trust her with any piece of information about himself, and he was certain she felt the same way.

"I think so," Percy replied in all honesty. Taking a reassuring beat, he concluded, "Yeah, I love her."

"Then go get her."

"It's not that simple, Jase-"

"Okay, bro, I'm sorry, but yes. It _is_ that simple. If you love her and she loves you that's all that matters."

"But she doesn't love me."

"You don't know-"

"Yes, I do know. She's my best friend, and that's all we're ever gonna be."

"Okay, false. I'm your best friend; don't ever forget that. Also, it's too late for you to back out now: I already have a ship name for you; how does Percabeth sound?"

Percy rolled his eyes and punched his "best friend" playfully in the arm.

 ** _December 20th_**

 **Percy-10:33**

 **As an early Christmas present to you and my Mother, I got my license today.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:35**_

 _ **WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME, MAN. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT TOOK YOU SO FUCKING LONG.**_

 **Percy-10:36**

 **I didn't need it; I had you to take me around places.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:37**_

 _ **Asshat.**_

 **Percy-10:38**

 **Oh come on, you know you love me.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:40**_

 _ **No I don't.**_

 **Percy-10:40**

 **Yeah, ya do**

 _ **Annabeth-10:41**_

 _ **Okay, maybe I do.**_

 ** _December 25th  
_**  
 **Percy-7:12**  
 **OH MY FUCKING GOD MY MOM GOT ME A RECORD PLAYER**  
 **NOT A DRILL NOT A DRILL THIS IS FANTASTIC**  
 **Oh, Merry Christmas btw**

 _ **Annabeth-8:31**_  
 _ **Happy Christmas! And yeah, I knew about the record player...**_

 **Percy-8:32**  
 **YOU KNEW? HOW?**

 _ **Annabeth-8:34**_  
 _ **Your Mom texted me last month asking me what you wanted for Christmas. Being the amazing bestfriend that I am, I let her know :)**_

 **Percy-8:37**  
 **Holy shit, I love you so much**

 _ **Annabeth-8:37**_  
 _ **I know**_

 **Percy-8:39**  
 **What the fuck, you can't just Han Solo me on this.**

 _ **Annabeth-8:41**_  
 _ **Han Solo? Sorry, I haven't seen Star Wars yet.**_

 **Percy-8:41**  
 **FRIENDSHIP OVER**

 _ **Annabeth-8:42**_  
 _ **You wish you could get rid of me that easily.** _

The next day, Percy and Annabeth had planned to meet up to exchange Christmas gifts. Due to the foot of snow on the ground, Percy's mother had offered to give them a ride to their favorite coffee shop, as there was no way that Cas would be able to make it out of the driveway.

More often than not, Percy would think he was over Annabeth; that his feelings for her were strictly platonic… But then he would get another look at her and fall in love all over again.

That day, her light blonde curls were tied up in childish braids, covered by a green hat that brought out those striking grey eyes of her. She wore a little bit of brown eyeliner, and her cheeks were red from the cold. She smiled as she sipped on a White Chocolate Mocha and asked Percy how his Christmas had went.

"It was pretty good" Percy told her. "Little different without Dad there, but we still had fun. Yours?"

Annabeth smirked. "Yeah, it was fine. It was kinda weird having Will home from Texas; this was his first time home since he moved out. Really annoying having him back. I was just getting use to having the house to myself.

"Well," she continued, reaching into her purse and pulling out a beautifully wrapped gift, "I don't suppose we should put this off any longer. Happy Christmas, asshat."

With an unbindable excitement coursing through his veins, Percy tore through the paper and almost cried at the sight.

"You got me a _Spring Awakening_ vinyl?"

Annabeth's smile grew even larger when she saw how excited her best friend was at his present.

Without hesitation, Percy pulled Annabeth into a fierce hug. At first, she flinched at the touch, but eventually sank into his grasp.

"I can not believe you found this!" Percy rambled. "This is going to sound so incredible on the record player... Shit, you have to come over and listen to it with me. Like, right now."

"Right now?"

"Yes right now, come on!"

He grabbed her hand and began dragging her through the coffee shop. She let out an easy laugh as he swung the door open, and the bitter cold wind smacked them in the face.

"How the hell are we gonna get home?" She asked, that smile never leaving her face.

"Walk, obviously. Try and keep up, Short Stuff"

Percy shot him an irritated look, but she couldn't hold it for too long. That annoyed glare quickly turned into an amused grin.

After 20 minutes of trudging through the freezing snow, the duo finally made it back to Percy's house. They got a long lecture from Mrs. Jackson ("You two could have frozen to death out there! I would have come to pick you up! My Lord, her Mom and Dad are going to think I'm such a horrible parent"), they finally settled in next to the record player and listened to the spin of _Spring Awakening_.

They wrapped themselves in blankets as the all too familiar violin line echoed through the room.

When Lea Michele's voice rang out of the Record Player, the look on Percy's face was as if he had just injected his arm with copious amounts of heroine.

"Don't give yourself a boner." Annabeth mocked as the chorus came along.

Percy let out a nervous laugh and rubbed his neck in an awkward attempt to ignore that statement.

The two of them sang along in a full belt to the entire sound track. When "Totally Fucked" came on, they found themselves practically screaming the notes, as they were all just barely out of belt-able range for the two of them.

"BLAH BLAH BLAHBLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH _BLAH_ BLAH BLAHBLAHBLAH" they sang, launching themselves from seat to seat.

"TOTALLY FUCKED" they finished with a bang, falling back on the couch in uncontrollable laughter. They barely managed to keep a straight face for the remaining three songs.

When "Days of Purple Summer" finished its last note, Percy removed the needle from the record, and silence radiated the room.

"So, now what?" He asked, looking to his friend for advice.

She gave him a sly smile, with a three word response, "You got Netflix?"

"Netflix and Chill?" Percy asked, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Annabeth smirked and replied, "Yeah, yeah. You wish I was that easy."

 _Or maybe that's what I like about you…_ Percy thought to himself.

He wasn't sure how, but Annabeth had somehow roped him into watching "A Very Supernatural Christmas" with her. Despite Annabeth never being able to shut up about this show, it was the first time Percy had ever sat down and watched an episode.

"Wait, so Sam is going to hell?"

"No, Dean is going to hell. He sold his soul at the end of Season 2 to bring his little brother back to life."

"Wait, so Dean is older?"

"Yeah, by like four years."

"Okay, so Dean is the tall one with the long hair?"

"No, that's Sam."

"If Dean is older than why is Sam taller?"

"How should I know? I'm older than you, but you're taller than me."

"Well, yeah but everyone's taller than you."

"I fail to see how mocking my physical structure in anyway pertains to to the current situation at hand."

"Wait, what?"

"Just shut your face and pay attention."

"..."

"Wait, so which one's Cas?"

"Oh my God, he's not even in this season _._ "

Percy figured from that point on, it was best to just not ask any questions. However, as the characters found themselves facing some Pagan Gods, Percy found himself asking questions that he actually cared about.

"You planning on auditioning for _Guys and Dolls_?"

"Nah."

"You should! Everyone really misses you."

"I don't know, Perce. I guess I miss them too, but I don't want to end up doing various forms of step-touching in the ensemble again. Not to sound cocky, but I think it's a little bit below my payroll. Central is doing _Bye Bye Birdie_ , and I'm the fan-favorite for Rosie. You know I can't pass that up."

"Yeah, yeah I know. I just miss not seeing you everyday."

"Psh, because that has totally slowed our friendship." Sarcasm had always come second-nature to Annabeth Chase.

Her once firm braids were now starting to unravel (especially after all the jumping around they'd done earlier), and tiny little curls framed her pale face.

 _I'm gonna tell her_ , thought Percy. _I'm gonna tell her right now-_

But of course, like every other time Percy swore he was going to tell Annabeth how he felt, he ended up chickening out and keeping quiet.

 _Well, there's always next Christmas._ _  
_

 **Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter! I would really** **appreciate a review or two; if I don't get any, I won't be as inclined to update. I would really appreciate some feedback! Thanks!**


	4. Crazier Than You

**_January 7th_**

 _ **Annabeth-3:15**_

 _ **Holy shit holy shit holy shit I'm next I'm next I'M NEXT WHAT DO I DO**_  
 _ **PANIC**_  
 _ **PANIC**_  
 _ **PANIC**_

 **Percy-3:17**

 **Well, I don't think panicking is gonna get you anywhere. Just take a deep breath. It'll be fine, Annie.**

 _ **Annabeth-3:17**_

 _ **YOU DON'T KNOW THAT**_

 **Percy-3:18**

 **Yes, I do. Have I ever been wrong before?**

 _ **Annabeth-3:18**_

 _ **You're literally wrong all the time.**_

 **Percy-3:19**

 **Okay, that's a discussion for another day. Just go in there and rock their socks off.**

 **And if you don't get Rosie or Kim, then we can burn down the school together.**

 _ **Annabeth-10:21**_

 _ **Cast list is up. Do I click it?**_

 **Percy-10:21**

 **YES, WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME FIRST JUST CLICK THE GODDAMN THING**

 ** _Annabeth-10:23_**

 _ **SHIT SHIT SHIT**_

 _ **I GOT THE PART**_

 _ **I GOT ROSIE**_

 **Percy-10:24**

 **WELL IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME**

* * *

 ** _January 12th_**

 _ **Annabeth-7:12**_

 _ **How're callbacks going?**_

 **Percy-8:03**

 **Okay, it's down to me and Nico for Nathan, and Luke pretty much already has Sky in the bag. Piper is the best Sarah choice.**

 _ **Annabeth-8:08**_

 _ **What about Adelaide?**_

 **Percy-8:23**

 **It's either gonna be Katie, or this new chick named Rachel, or at least that's what I think her name is.**

 _ **Annabeth-8:24**_

 _ **Ohhhh, I hope it's Katie.**_

 **Percy-8:24**

 **Idk, the new girl is pretty impressive.**

* * *

 ** _January 13th_ _  
_**  
 _ **Annabeth-12:34**_  
 _ **CONGRATS MR. NATHAN DETROIT!**_

 **12:34**  
 **LITERALLY FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW**  
 **THIS IS A BIG DEAL. LIKE, SHIT I FINALLY GOT A LEAD.**

 _ **Annabeth-12:35**_  
 _ **IT'S A HUGE DEAL. I'm so proud of you.**_

 **Percy-12:37**

 **I'm proud of us. We're really moving up in the world, huh?**

 _ **Annabeth-12:37**_

 _ **Looks like it.**_

* * *

 ** _January 24th_**

 **Percy-7:32**

 **Dude, Rachel is the best ever OMG.**

* * *

 ** _January 26th_**

 **Percy-8:24**

 **Rachel is like, such a crazy professional but she's so amazing to work with.**

* * *

 ** _January 30th_**

 **Percy-6:15**

 **This is literally the best cast I've ever been a part of. Rachel and I connect together so well on stage.**

* * *

 ** _February 2nd_**

 **Percy-10:34**

 **Jason thinks I should ask Rachel out... Idk though, I'm kinda nervous.**

* * *

 ** _February 3rd_**

 _ **Annabeth-1:02**_

 _ **Hey, I really need to talk to you**_

 **Percy-1:03**

 **Why are you still awake? It's like 1:00 the morning. Don't you have school tomorrow?**

 **Are you alright?**

 _ **Annabeth-1:04**_

 _ **I don't know, I just really need to talk to you**_

 **Percy-1:04**

 **Okay... What's going on?**

 _ **Annabeth-1:05**_

 _ **I can't tell you through text.**_

 **Percy-1:05**

 **Okay, I have rehearsal tomorrow, but I might be able to do something this weekend?**

 _ **Annabeth-1:06**_

 _ **Never mind. It's not important. Just forget it**_

 **Percy-1:06**

 **Annabeth, no. If you're texting me at 1 in the morning then it's clearly important.**

 **Percy-1:09**

 **Are you okay?**

 **Percy-1:14**

 **You're scaring me.**

 **Percy-1:16**

 **Just let me know that you're okay**

 **Percy-1:23**

 **Annie?**

 **Percy-1:31**

 **Okay, I'm coming over.**

As quietly as humanly possible, Percy threw on the jeans and hoodie he'd been wearing at rehearsal a few hours before. He slipped a note on the counter just in case his Mother woke up ("Annabeth emergency. Be back soon, I hope. Got my phone.")

Percy could feel his heart beating in his chest as he fumbled the key into the ignition of his black jeep. Carefully backing out of his driveway, he tore off in the direction of Annabeth's house once he was in the clear.

Because he'd only had his license for two months, Percy was sure to keep a lookout for cops. If he got busted driving around past curfew, it was more than just his license at stake.

In a record time of 15 minutes, he pulled onto her street. Even though Frederick and Julia Chase both adored Percy, he knew it probably wouldn't be wise to pull into their driveway and wake the whole house, so he opted for parking about a block away, and then sprinting to her front door.

He noticed that her window didn't have a light on, but he knew that Annabeth was more likely to be typing away on her iPad than reading a book.

After evaluating the situation, Percy thought it best to just send a simple text.

 **Percy-1:52**

 **I'm here. Come outside. We need to talk.**

After an agonizing 30 seconds, the white door slowly creaked open. Annabeth scrambled out, clad in a pair of green plaid pajama bottoms, and a pink long sleeved "Life is Good" t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a high pony tail (just like it had been the first time they met, Percy vaguely noted.)

"I-I didn't think you'd actually come all the way here." she muttered out as she met him in the driveway.

Percy felt a rush of relief rush over him, followed by a pang of anger. "Dear God, Annabeth. I thought you were gonna kill yourself."

Annabeth gave a sad light laugh and said "Not tonight."

Slightly bothered by that statement and making a mental note to bring it back up later, Percy decided to get what he came here for.

"Annabeth, what happened?"

"Nothing happened-"

"Please don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying-"

"Annabeth Jane Chase, I know when you're lying, just tell me."

"I'm not lying-"

"Annie, come on-"

"I'm not lying-"

"Just tell me-"

"I'm not lying!" She snapped.

Percy initially flinched at her harsh tone. He wanted to say something comforting, because Annabeth was clearly in distress, but he was too shocked at the sudden outburst to conjure up any words of wisdom.

Taking his silence as a cue to continue, she said "For God's sake, I'm not lying to you. Just like I'm not lying when I say how happy I am that you and Rachel are having fun together. How amazing it is that she's in your life now. Just so _fucking_ happy."

Her voice was broken and Percy could hear her breath deepen as she tried to regain it.

"Annabeth, why can't you just tell me how you feel?"

"Because I can't!" she sneered. "I can't tell you how I feel because it'll just fuck everything up. I can't tell you how in love with you I am because-"

But Percy missed the rest of that speech; he wasn't paying attention. He was too busy replaying those words in his mind.

"Wait-" Percy said, cutting her off mid-sentence. "You're... In love with me?"

Annabeth looked sullen and said softly "That obvious, huh? And look, I know it'll never work out because you like Rachel, and I already threw away my shot-"

Considering neither of the pair had any experience kissing another human being before, the kiss lacked a certain quality, but it was filled with as much passion as you can possibly forge.

Because that's what happens when soul mates find each other at last.

 **Kind of a short cliche chapter. But every story needs a few of those! Next chapter is when it really picks up (not to mention that my writing will also improve during the next chapter.) So I hope you guys liked the chapter, and I'll see you next time! Please, please, please review! I've got quite a few followers, but not a ton of reviews. It would really mean the world to me. Thanks!**


	5. King of New York

Percy wasn't sure how it was possible, but in the month that he had been calling Annabeth Chase his girlfriend, he had fallen even more in love with her. Not just because she was beautiful (although, admittedly, she totally was.) It was because of all the little things she did. Like the way she never sat with her feet touching the ground; her legs were always criss-cross on top of the chair. Or like how she picked at the base of her fingernails when she was nervous, unintentionally drawing blood. Or just the way her eyes lit up when she was talking about something she really cared about, whether it be serious things, such as gay rights ("I bet God sent gays to fix overpopulation"), or insignificant things that Percy didn't even begin to understand, like how (quote) "Destiel is totally canon holy shit Perce I just can't even with those guys sometimes." (unquote). (Percy doesn't speak fangirl, so a lot of what Annabeth says goes right over his head.)

These were all things that Percy had never really noticed before, but something about discovering them gave him a rush of excitement. It was like finding a hidden metaphor in your favorite book; you've read it a million times and already know that you love it, but then you notice something so small, but so meaningful, and you fall in love with the story all over again.

Now, this doesn't mean their relationship was perfect; it was especially difficult to maintain intimacy, considering the couple never had time to physically see each other. With Percy's _Guys and Dolls_ schedule rivaling Annabeth's obligation to _Bye Bye Birdie_ , making time for each other was not an easy task.

Not to mention the largest, and only actual complication...

"Okay, lemme get this straight; you guys have only kissed once?" Jason questioned, genuine shock ringing through his voice.

It was a Friday night, and after a long rehearsal, Percy and Jason were ready to catch up on some guy stuff. Percy had driven them back to Jason's house, and they were now sitting in Jason's basement shoving their faces with pizza as the hour neared 11:00.

"Yeah," Percy admitted shyly. "We kissed that one time when we got together, but ever since then it's like she's been avoiding my touch. But that's not weird… I mean, we've only been dating a month. Okay, maybe it's kinda weird..."

"Percy," Jason said bluntly. "That's not 'kinda weird'. That's ridiculously abnormal. You ever thought about asking her why she's moving so slow?"

Percy scoffed, "Oh yeah, 'cause that's a great conversation to have. 'Hey Annabeth, why aren't you putting out more?' I'm sure that would go over great."

With a defensive tone, Jason argued, "look man, Annabeth is a cool chick. If this is really bothering you all that much, you shouldn't be talking to me. You should be talking to her."

In the two and a half years that Percy had known him, this was the first time Jason was actually sincere.

* * *

 ** _March 13th_**

 **Percy-7:34**

 **Only 6 more hours of us being allowed to date legally.**

 ** _Annabeth-7:46_**

 ** _Idk, I doubt the Feds will be on our ass. I'm more worried about the idea of me being a legal adult_**

 ** _Luckily Spring Break starts tomorrow AND I WILL BE 2460-DONE WITH 3RD QUARTER_**

 **Percy-7:47**

 **SHIT I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ABOUT TO GRADUATE**

 ** _Annabeth-7:48_**

 ** _EW DON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE OLD._**

* * *

On March 13th, the night before Annabeth's 18th birthday, Percy sat up in his bed, his phone pulled right up to his eyes. He had a long message already typed out, delving into every detail of their relationship and how much he loved her, and how happy he was that she was in his life. He was waiting patiently for the numbers on his phone to switch to 12:00; he wanted to be the first person to wish her a Happy Birthday.

But something got in the way of that plan…

 _ **Annabeth-11:59**_

 _ **Get your ass in gear and get outside**_

 _What the hell?_ , Percy thought. Something inside his head told him to just stay put in his room, feeling far too lazy to actually get up and move. But Percy was never one for listening to his head when it was Annabeth on the other end.

He climbed out of bed and quietly crept downstairs. Even though it was mid-March, the cold New Hampshire air hit him like a linebacker making a key tackle as he slid through the front door. After three steps, he was already regretting not putting on a pair of socks before he left his room. The cold air nipped at his feet, causing him to walk at a faster pace down his driveway.

Percy was confused at the sight of Cas, the bright yellow Volkswagen bug, who was parked right outside of his house. As soon as he stepped into the light from the street lamp towering his house, he saw his girlfriend slide out of her car.

He'd deny it, but this was the first time Percy had looked at her and not thought "beautiful." That didn't mean he loved her any less, but her hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail that was slowly deteriorating, and her eyes were covered by a pair of thick black glasses (which he didn't even know she had). She wore black leggings that were just a little too big for her, red tennis shoes, and her new _Bye Bye Birdie_ t-shirt.

Frankly, she looked like a wreck.

"Hey, Annie. Whatcha doing here?" Percy asked, unintentional awkwardness chiming through his voice.

"What, you're allowed to show up at my place in the dead of night, but I can't return the favor?"

There was something uncharacteristic about the way she said it... It wasn't the usual sarcasm that echoed through her voice. She sounded... bitter?

Annabeth must have noticed Percy's negative reaction to her tone, because she softened up. "Come on, Perce. I'm 18. Remember our plan?"

"Wait," Percy said, the gears in his brain beginning to turn as he realized why she was actually here. "Are you-"

"Not me," she interrupts, taking a few steps in his direction, the glare of the street light giving her an unflattering tone. "Us. We're going to New York, and by God we are going to see _Spring Awakening_ on Broadway."

Even behind those god awful glasses, Percy could see the fierce determination in her wild grey eyes. It was a look that he had grown accustomed to seeing, just never before in the middle of the night on his front lawn.

"Well, sure," Percy stammered out, trying not to sound like a total moron (he failed). "I mean, I have to ask my Mom, but maybe this Summer-"

"Not this Summer," Annabeth cut in. "Right now."

"Like in the morning?"

Annabeth sighed in exasperation. "Not like in the morning. I mean you go upstairs, grab your shit, and we blow this pop-stand."

Percy unconsciously let out a nervous laugh.

"You can't be serious."

Stone faced, she replied, "does it look like I'm joking?"

And so they were off. Percy snagged a backpack from his room and filled it with an extra pair of jeans and a few t-shirts (including a button down, just in case Annabeth was serious about this whole "seeing a Broadway show" thing). He also pocketed 112 bucks from the emergency stash, because he knew he was gonna end up needing it. Lastly, he yanked his phone charger out of the wall, and piled into Cas, preparing himself for a long drive.

He was about to chuck his backpack into the back seat (Cas really wasn't a very spacious car), when something stopped him.

Piled in the seat behind him was a cardboard box filled to the brim with books, and a large Vera Bradley bag packed with clothes.

"Um, Annie?" Percy questioned as she began to pull out of the neighborhood and onto the silent road. "Why do you have a box of books in your back seat?"

"Oh, I need those for a thing." she replied vaguely.

"What kind of thing requires every book you own?" Percy demurred.

"Relax, it's not a big deal. Turn up up the _Spring Awakening_ soundtrack; we've got a long drive ahead of us."

She never answered his question.

* * *

Around 2:00am, Percy got slightly concerned for their well being, seeing that Annabeth was losing consciousness behind the wheel. After she swerved slightly into the empty lane next to them, Percy had had enough.

"Annie, let's pull over at the next exit and try and get some sleep." Percy suggested (well, more like demanded.)

"No, Perce," she said, her voice tired and soft, "We need to keep going."

"New York isn't going anywhere," he said sternly. In a commanding voice, Percy told her, "you're exhausted; you can't keep going like this."

"Percy, I'm fine-" she argued, a large yawn escaping her mouth. With a dejected sigh, she concluded, "fine. But you're paying for gas."

After pulling Cas off at the next exit, Annabeth managed to track down an old rusty gas station somewhere in Northern New Hampshire. Pulling into the empty lot, she found a secluded corner and switched the gear into park.

"You know, I doubt we'll actually get any sleep," Annabeth remarked.

"Just try."

"You know me, I'm not one for trying new things."

"You kidding me? Are you not considering this little adventure of ours new? This is the craziest thing I've ever done."

"Well, it's still early."

"Huh?"

They were both asleep.

 **So there's another chapter! I must admit to you guys, I originally wrote this as an independent piece with my own characters, so that is why you might occasionally see Percy called "Micah," or Annabeth called "Maison." If I do it again (which I likely will,) just let me know and I'll get it fixed. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!**


	6. The Promise That I Made to You

Percy was the first to wake up. Initially, he was slightly confused as to his whereabouts, but the memories rushed back into his brain when he saw his girlfriend curled up into a little ball on the driver's seat. Her glasses were askew on her face, and her mouth was hanging open slightly. Percy couldn't help but smile; he was lucky enough to wake up next to her.

Glancing at his phone (which was running very low on battery), it read 6:47 in the morning. Since he didn't have any frantic text message from his mother, Percy assumed she was still sound asleep back in Manchester.

He felt a slight vibration underneath him, and he quickly realized that he was sitting on Annabeth's phone. Even though he was utterly unaware of how it got there, he pulled it out from under him. Despite the pang of guilt that came along with it, he couldn't help but take a glance at the glowing screen.

The background of her phone was usually covered by a picture of the two of them that Jason had taken at some _Guys and Dolls_ promotional show a few weekends ago (Percy would know; the same picture had been his screensaver as well.) But the image was covered by a text that Annabeth had just received from someone marked as "PML"

 ** _PML-6:03_**

 ** _For as long as you need. Mom and Dad and Henry are totally cool with it. My Mom offered to call and talk to yours if that'll help. So sorry- lemme know when you're coming._**

Percy felt a rush of confusion… "PML" obviously stood for Piper McLean, another MRT kid that just so happened to be Annabeth's best friend. But what the hell was she talking about? Every one of his instincts was telling him to open her phone and read their entire conversation. In all honesty, he probably would have if Annabeth hadn't woken up a few seconds later.

"What're you doing with that?" she questioned, her voice soft and laced with exhaustion.

"Oh, I fell asleep on it. It woke me up when it vibrated," he casually lied.

 _Thank God for improv classes_.

"Oh, okay," Annabeth said, not giving it a second thought. She reached out and grabbed her phone from him. Clearly reading the text from Piper, she showed no indication of fear or worry; completely unreadable. "I'm gonna go grab some food and pee… Not at the same time. Obviously."

After a hastily eaten breakfast of gas station donuts and Monster Energy drinks, they found themselves speeding back down the highway on that long road to the Big Apple.

"Ooh, turn it up." Annabeth chimed as an all too familiar tune echoed through the speakers.

Gladly, Percy cranked up the volume and began singing along with Moritz to what was arguably the best _Spring Awakening_ song.

"' _Cause you know- BAW WAW WAW WAW- I don't do sadn-ess..._ " the couple sang together, smiling and nodding their heads to the beat. Eventually when the Ilse part came along, they broke into death defying harmonies.

" _Spring and summer, every other day. Blue wind gets so sad blowing through the thick corn through the bales of hay-_ "

Now was as good a time as any: " _I love you_."

Unable to take her eyes off the road, she smiled and said "I know."

 _No you don't._

* * *

Percy mapped them to the cheapest hotel possible within walking distance of the theatre while Annabeth dealt with the struggle of driving through New York City. Percy had sat in the passenger seat with Annabeth at the wheel countless times, so he knew exactly how she acted when people on the road weren't cooperating with her.

"Gee, if only there was some magical device that lets you alert other drivers when you plan on making a turn- oh wait. There is. _Use your fucking blinker, dumb ass!_ "

After another slew of unfavorable words from his girlfriend's mouth, Percy began staring at his phone, waiting for a call from his mother. Inevitably, Mrs. Jackson had ended up calling him around 10:30 that morning.

"Percy, where are you?" she asked, a semi-worried tone in her voice.

"Um, Jason's?" Percy lied (he had gotten quite good at it in the past few hours.) "Remember? He called me last night saying that Reyna dumped him… He's my best friend, I couldn't just leave him by himself."

"Oh, right, right," Mrs. Jackson drawled. Percy praised God, thanking him for letting his mother believe this story. "Well, feel free stay with Jason as long as he needs you. Does he want me to make him a pie? I know how much he likes pie. Or maybe he would prefer a-"

As a wave of guilt rushed over him, Percy interrupted "Nah, I think we're good for now. I gotta go; he just woke up. Bye Mom."

After hanging up with his Mom, Percy decided to take every precaution necessary.

* * *

 **Percy-10:42**

 **Hey, so I spent the night at your house last night because Reyna dumped you.**

 ** _Jason-10:43_**

 ** _Really? Damn it, I was just starting to like her._**

 ** _You gonna tell me where you really are?_**

Percy hesitated, but ultimately decided to tell Jason where he actually was. If he couldn't trust his best friend, then who could he trust?

 ** _Jason-10:49_**

 ** _New York? With Annabeth? And you're seeing Spring Awakening?_**

 **Percy-10:51**

 **Affirmative**

 ** _Jason-10:52_**

 ** _Bro, that is a porno in the making. Don't forget to use protection. You and Annabeth are bad enough individually. I can only imagine the kind of hell your child would raise._**

* * *

Percy rolled his eyes and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. Annabeth, who had been yelling profanities at the people who angered her in the slightest, (which was essentially everyone) finally pulled into their destination.

"Well," she said, taking a step out of the car and stretching her legs. "We can't check in for another few hours. Wanna just park Cas here and go find something to eat?"

"Sounds like a plan," Percy replied with a shrug.

Snatching his wallet from his backpack, the pair set off through the unfamiliar streets in search of something cheap and easy to eat.

They ended up at a McDonald's about three blocks away from where they'd parked. Sure, the food wasn't very exotic, but it was cheep and they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. After placing their order and receiving an abundance of fries, they took a seat by the window and began watching all the various people scurry around outside.

"I want to live here." Percy shared suddenly.

Her eyes scrunched in sudden confusion, Annabeth questioned "Why?"

Percy sighed as he gazed out the window, "because everything I love is in New York. And the whole idea of living here is just a dream come true. When I was six years old, ages before I even started doing theatre, my closest friend at the time asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to be on Broadway. I don't know what compelled me to answer that but it's been my dream for a long-ass time. Every time I think of my future I can't help but see myself in a nice little apartment in New York City. I mean, how can you not want to live here?"

She paused briefly before responding, "I don't know... I mean, I want to get out of New Hampshire, and luckily in a few months I will be-"

"Wait, what?" Percy interjected, surprise hitting him hard in the heart.

Annabeth looked nervous for a moment, and spoke carefully "Well, yeah... I mean, Boston College. It's in Boston, which is in Massachusetts..."

"You never told me you decided on a college..." Percy mumbled.

Percy knew that Annabeth was bound to be going somewhere exciting for college. She had been talking about it since the day they met. He just figured it wouldn't be a problem for a lot longer. Now with confirmation that Annabeth would be leaving him soon, he felt a weight in his chest grow heavier than an anvil. He didn't want her to go. At college she would meet new exciting people… She'd be hanging out with those people… Having sex with those people…

"I don't know, Percy," Annabeth said, instantly snapping him out of his train of thought. "Boston just has so much history, and it's just such a beautiful town, and the Red Sox-"

"No, Annie, I know. I know, and I get it. It's just-" he shoved a few more fries down this throat, subconsciously hoping that they might help fill the soon-to-be empty void, "-I'm just gonna miss living in the same town as you."

"Hey, it'll be fine" she reassured, optimism radiating through her tone. "Boston is only like, a three hour drive. You won't even notice I'm gone."

She attempted to flash him her familiar smile, but it seemed fake. Artificial. Invalid.

"But if I end up in New York..."

"I know," she said sadly.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence as Percy scrambled through his mind for a solution.

"Look," he said, snatching her attention. She glanced up, looking him dead in the eye. "I know that it'll be hard having a long distance relationship, but if anyone can do it, it's us. I promise to always come home to you, if you promise to always come home to me. Deal?"

There was that smile.

"Deal."

They shook on it.

 **Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you guys all liked the chapter. Not gonna lie, the next chapter is quite possibly one of my all time favorites, so stick around for that!If I get enough reviews, I can post another chapter later tonight! So please review!**


	7. Perfect for You

**Okay, things start heating up a little bit in this chapter. Not too bad, but just thought I would warn you.**

After their lunch at McDonalds and a long stroll through the busy streets, Percy and Annabeth finally made their way back to the hotel to check in.

The lady at the register was old, and frankly a little judgmental.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "But are you old enough to be getting your own room?"

Annabeth gave her a large smile, and pulled out her ID. "I'm 18, ma'am."

After thoroughly examining the laminated card, the lady finally remarked, "Annabeth is a strange name."

Without missing a beat, Annabeth responded, "So is chlamydia."

Feeling a roar of laughter coming up, Percy let out a loud snort and tried to contain the rest of the laugh until they at least got down the hall (he was unsuccessful).

Almost instantly, Annabeth fell asleep on one of the queen sized beds sitting in their dirty room. Not even bothering to get under the covers, she was out like a light.

Taking a few more precautions, Percy set his alarm to go off in three hours (waking them up at 5:00 would give them time to get ready and get some more food before the show at 7:30), and fell asleep on the bed right next to her.

As he lied there in that state of not asleep, yet not exactly awake, he wanted nothing more than to be on the bed with Annabeth... To have her lips against his... To actually feel her, for once... To...

He was asleep before he decided what else he wanted to do with her.

* * *

" _It was the heat of the moment, Telling me what your heart meant_ -"

Percy flinched slightly at the song choice; _Seriously? Asia? At least pick a decent band for us to wake up to._ Before he even registered what was happening, he heard Annabeth let out an uncontrollable laugh.

Confused, Percy started to sit up, and between fits of laughter, Annabeth asked "Is it Tuesday?"

In the many months that he had known Annabeth Chase, he was certain of one thing: she could turn any situation into some kind of reference. Deciding it best not to question this one, Percy rolled over and began to put on his button down shirt.

He glanced over at Annabeth, secretly hoping that she would be trying to steal a glance at him without a shirt. But no; she sat quietly on the bed, checking her phone and not even giving him a second glance. This kind of angered Percy, and then that made him mad at himself for being mad in the first place.

When they were finally ready, they walked out into the City. It wasn't exactly night yet, but there was a dark tint in the light that made everything a little bit cooler. Not like it wasn't already freezing cold. Percy was wishing he had on a ski coat right now, yet he couldn't even begin to imagine how cold Annabeth must be with just a dress and a sweater.

And after a long dinner (once again, at McDonalds. There was only so much money between the two of them) they were finally standing in line, waiting to get into the theater.

"I can't believe this is actually happening." Annabeth said, shaking (whether from excitement or the cold is something Percy will never know).

"I can't believe we actually ran off to New York just to see a show."

"Oh, that I can totally believe," she said honestly. "I mean, have you met me? This is just the kind of crazy shit I do."

"True, but that's why I'm here; to stop you from doing crazy shit."

"Well, you're doing a piss-poor job, my friend."

Percy wished he could say that he was a good boyfriend, and that he stole little glances at her throughout the entire show, but he would be blatantly lying to you. Percy was far too focused on picking out every little difference between the vocal harmonies between Lea Michele's "Wendla" and this new chick to notice anything Annabeth was doing.

Then came the scene they both knew was coming, but neither of them had really addressed until now. Percy felt something shift beneath him, and the familiar uncomfortable feeling it brought with it.

 _No one is having sex on stage_ , he thought. _This is totally normal_.

Because he had at least some decency, Percy wouldn't tell anyone what he thought of while trying to calm himself down... But he somehow managed to make it through Act One with his hormones under control.

Percy might have just been imagining things, but Annabeth looked almost disgusted during the song "I Believe." Granted, Melchior and Wendla were going pretty hard at each other, so he decided to give her a pass.

Finally, after another brilliant hour, the show came to a close. They both cheered louder than anyone else in the audience, their hands pounding together in a roaring applause.

Percy was still in a state of awe as they exited the theater. Annabeth might have been speaking to him, but he didn't have a clue as to what she was saying.  
His euphoria only lasted until he took two steps outside, directly into the pouring rain. He would have been bummed, but then he looked over at Annabeth. Her grey eyes lit up with excitement, and she tore off down the street, singing _"Mama Who Bore Me"_ as she spun around and around and around. Every one of Percy's instincts told him to casually smile, and tell Annabeth to come back over to him, tell her that if she kept running around in the rain she would get sick and that maybe they could just get a cab back to the motel.

However, his instincts hadn't gotten him anywhere in life, so goddammit he danced in the rain with the love of his life.

And my God, that smile of her's... Percy could swear that smile alone was enough to light up the entire city. How the rest of the world was still standing while being compared to her, he would never be certain.

Even as they entered their shitty ass motel room, Percy noticed that somehow Annabeth made that place tolerable.

She could make anything beautiful.

It started with a simple kiss; Percy couldn't hold back any more. He could feel her smile beneath him, and he tried to run his fingers through her tangled wet hair. Annabeth almost tried to push away, but Percy figured something changed her mind, because that simple kiss turned into something with more passion.

That passion led them right onto the bed, Percy sitting down with Annabeth across his lap. Before he had time to think about it, Percy had removed his shirt, and Annabeth's dress followed quickly in pursuit.

Not wanting to waste anytime, Percy's hands began tinkering around to her back, feeling around for the clasp of her bra. Without breaking contact, he managed to snap the hooks off, and he roughly tore the bra away from her chest.

His hands were just beginning to work their way around to get a grasp on her chest when she snapped herself away. Percy tried to press on, but she shoved him back with sizable force.

"I can't-I can't-I can't-" Percy heard Annabeth mutter as she fumbled in attempt to get her bra back on.

"No, Annie it's okay-"

"No it's not!" she screamed. It was then Percy noticed that she had tears streaming down her face. Underneath her spectacular grey eyes were black smudges from where her eyeliner use to be. By now her bra was back on, but her dress was still lying on the floor on the opposite side of the room.

"Annabeth, did I do something wrong?" Percy asked, genuine concern and confusion ringing through his voice.

Guilt spreading across her face, Annabeth looked at him and said "Oh, no. Percy, Percy I promise you were doing fine I just... I just-"

"You just what?" Percy interjected in a harsher tone than he anticipated. "Annabeth, tell me what's wrong?"

Her body began shaking as the tears just kept pouring out of her now swollen eyes. Percy wanted to put his arm around her, try and help console her, make her feel better. But in all honesty, he felt too hurt and embarrassed to do anything. He just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Percy," she said, finally regaining her breath. "Do you know why I never asked you out before?"

"Because you didn't really like me until Rachel came along?" Percy guessed. After all, that's what he thought; she only wanted him once someone else came into the picture. Not like he was complaining or anything, but he had spent their entire relationship convinced that was why she was with him.

"Because I knew it wouldn't end well for us. Because I knew that I loved you so, so much, and that it would hurt too bad when I finally made it to this point."

"Annabeth, what point are you talking about-"

"I'm ace."

"You're... You're what?" he questioned, not sure if he had heard her right.

"Ace- asexual. I just don't… I can't…"

"You don't feel attraction towards anything." Percy finished for her. Annabeth looked up at him, and before she was given the chance to ask the question, Percy answered, "Of course I know what asexuality is; I have a Tumblr."

Percy wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't that.

It was now Percy finally got a good look at Annabeth for what felt like the first time. Her bushy blonde hair was knotted and wet, hanging damply around her round face. Her smile was nonexistent, but her teeth were still slightly crooked. Clad in rather compromising apparel, Micah could see red marks that spread themselves across her stomach, that was bulging over her light blue underwear. The same red marks were seen around her chest, circling around the bra that masked her decently sized breasts. He now knew why girls complained about stretch marks so frequently; they looked horrible.

"God, I'm so sorry," she cried, breaking Percy's trance as she sat down in the bed in attempt to cover herself. "I knew that we could never work out because you're a boy and you have needs and I just can't give them to you but when you kept talking and talking and talking about Rachel and how much you liked her I couldn't just watch you be happy with her because I wanted more than anything for you to be happy with me but I knew that you never really could be happy with me and I just-"

Percy was quite uncomfortable with the situation, so he did the most logical thing he could think of (which in retrospect, was incredibly contradictory). He pressed his lips up against hers in attempt to _shut her up_ for a moment.

"Annabeth, I love you," he believes "I love you for what you are. Don't worry about it; we can work through this."

Tears in her eyes, she said in a quiet voice, "Percy, you don't get it. I'm broken. I'm defective. There is something not right about me."

In spite of everything, Percy still thought her eyes were the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen. He'll never stop thinking that.

"Annabeth Jane Chase, no one out there is completely right with themselves."

"I know, but-"

"But crazy is perfect, and fucked up is perfect, so I will be perfect-"

"Perfect for you." they both sang together.

Percy knew even then that he was lying to himself.

 **Hopefully that went okay for you guys! I really appreicate all the reviews I've been getting; seriously means the world to me! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and ya'll better get ready for a rollercoaster; this is where it starts getting intense.**

 **Also, to the reviewer who asked why this story is called _The Humanistic Defect_ ; I have two answers for you. 1) I like pretentious titles for my stories. 2) I read in this article for my Creative Writing class that "if your subject is a character, ask how they see themselves and restate the title that way" Example, Holden Caulfield sees himself as a Catcher in the Rye, and in this particular story, Annabeth sees herself as a defect. And thus, _The Humanistic Defect_ was born! I hope that cleared some things up for you, and for anyone else who was wondering the same thing.**

 **See you** **next time!**


	8. Home is Where the Heart Is

It is physically impossible to pinpoint the exact moment you fall in love with someone. It starts with the little things, and before you even realize what happened, you're head-over-heels for that person. Unfortunately, the same rules apply when you find yourself falling out of love with that same person.

Percy hadn't exactly noticed that he started texting Annabeth less and less. Percy hadn't exactly noticed the twinge of irritation he got when she would send her daily "complaining about school" messages to him. Percy hadn't exactly noticed that he found the way she would get all excited while talking about the book she was currently reading annoying rather than endearing.

Because Percy Jackson was in love with Annabeth Chase, gods dammit. He was in love with her, and noting going to ruin that for him.

* * *

 ** _April 3rd_**

 **Percy-12:36**

 **Hey, what are you doing after school today? I miss youuuuuu.**

 ** _Annabeth-12:43_**

 ** _I think I'm just studying for finals; so close, yet so far._**

 **Percy-12:47**

 **Want to meet up somewhere after school?**

 ** _Annabeth-12:52_**

 ** _Ugh, yes but Cas is in the shop; still a little rusty after surviving the big city_**

 **Percy-12:53**

 **I can just get you from school and then take you back home**

 ** _Annabeth-1:18_**

 ** _Yeah, sure! See you then!_**

* * *

It was supposed to be that simple. Just a regular boyfriend and girlfriend doing regular boyfriend and girlfriend things… Minus most physical contact and all sexual connections-

 _No,_ Percy thought. _You love her and you're not going to let a little thing like sexual preference get in the way._

At 3:00 on a cool April afternoon, they found themselves in their usual coffee shop; the same coffee shop they went to back at Christmas… God, that seemed so long ago. Had it really only been four months? The whole ordeal was all exceptionally ordinary, until they loaded into Percy's car to get Annabeth home for studying.

"Actually," Annabeth said, right before Percy pulled out of the lot. "Can you take me to Piper's? We're studying together."

"Well, yeah but isn't she at rehearsal right now?" Percy asked, glancing at the time. Not like he knew every detail of Piper's life, but he did know that she was most definitely down at MRT rehearsing with Luke for _Guys and Dolls_.

"Really?" Annabeth said, her voice rising in a faux tone of confusion. "Then I guess I'll just hang out with her brother-"

"Annie, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying-"

"Yes you are-"

"You can't prove that-"

"Yes, I can-"

"Do you even-"

"Annabeth, when was the last time you went home?"

"Excuse me?"

"What was the last time you went home?" Percy repeated, emphasizing every last word.

"I don't see how that's relevant-"

"Just humor me."

She kept her gaze strictly on the floor, refusing to look him in the eye. Figuring that Annabeth wouldn't willingly give him a direct answer, he decided to use his own Fundamental Theorem of Algebra; guess and check.

"Last night?"

"..."

"Three days?"

"..."

"Last week?"

"..."

"Annabeth," Percy said, a horrible thought suddenly dawning on him. "Have you… Have you been home since we went to New York?"

She glanced up at him, and with one look into those grey eyes, Percy knew the answer.

"Dear God, Annie… That was three weeks ago! What the hell happened?"

She scoffed lightly, trying to keep the conversation as light as it could be. "Like I told you; I'm defective. Frederick and Julia spent 17 years telling me not to have sex, and when I finally tell them that it won't be a problem, they tell me not to come back until I straighten out- no pun intended."

Percy scoffed at her. It was just like her to try and humor her way out of every situation. "God, this isn't a joke, Annabeth."

"I'm not laughing,"

"So what the hell have you been doing?" Percy asked, in a harsher tone than he intended.

"Well, I went to New York, obviously," she said, attempting a smile. "The McLean's are letting me stay with them until I move to Boston, which is probably gonna be sooner rather than later."

After taking a few seconds to gather his scrambling thoughts, Percy managed to say,"I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"How was I supposed to tell you?" she said. "It's not exactly the most pleasant thing to talk about. Besides, when they threw me out, you didn't even know I was ace. I can imagine how that conversation would have gone: 'Why don't your parents want you anymore' 'Because I don't want to have sex with anyone ever. Oh, by the way, we're never going to do it.'"

"Wait-" Percy cut it, trying to ignore the idea of Annabeth never wanting to get intimate with him. "Who did you tell before me?"

"Why does it matter? You know now-"

"Yeah, but you would think that I should know this kind of thing about my girlfriend."

"I thought you said it wasn't important?"

"It's not," he lied. "You never answered my question; who did you come out to before me?"

"Just Piper and my parents." she shrugged. Something about the way she said it was off though… As if it wasn't the entire truth.

"When did you tell Piper?"

"Perce-"

"When?" he pushed.

"December?"

Percy slammed on the break, causing Annabeth to let out an involuntary yelp. He flipped his head to the side to look her right in the eye. Her eyes were wide in fear, and every one of his instincts told him to calm down, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"December? You've known since December? Annabeth, we weren't even dating in December!"

"Percy, I've known my whole life that I wasn't like other people in that regard, I don't know why you didn't expect this-"

"Well, maybe if you put out a little bit more we wouldn't have this problem!"

 _Oh shit._

Without saying a word, Annabeth unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed her purse off the floor, and stepped out the door. The car was still in drive, so the lights began to flicker telling Percy that he had really fucked up this time. Having already slammed the door shut, Percy rolled the window down so he could talk to his (soon to be ex) girlfriend. She had already began her walk down the sidewalk, so Percy had to drive at a painfully slow pace to remain in contact with her.

"Annabeth, look I'm sorry-"

"I don't care."

"Listen, get back in the car, let's talk about it-"

"We have nothing to talk about."

"Annie-"

"No, Percy," she snapped harshly, her voice cracking as she looked him in the eye. "If you knew this was going to be a problem, you should have told me."

"Seriously?" Percy argued, not realizing entirely what he was saying. "You're getting mad at _me_ for keeping something from you?"

She didn't have a response for that, so she just huffed and kept walking.

"Annabeth," Percy pleaded through the window. "You can't walk all the way back to Piper's house."

"Watch me."

Percy sighed. "Annie, it's seven miles away. Just get back in the car and we'll work this out-"

"No thanks"

"Please just get back in the car."

"Please just leave me alone."

"Annabeth Jane, I swear-"

"Yeah, you swear. Just like you swore that this wouldn't be a problem!" She yelled, letting her emotions get the better of her.

Percy wanted so badly to fight back with some witty response, but he really only had one goal on his mind.

"Annabeth, you don't have to like it, but I need you to get in the car so I can take you ho- back to Piper's place."

"Why should I let you?" she huffed, still refusing to look at him.

"Because I think you know me well enough to know that no matter how mad we are at each other, I'm not leaving you alone like this."

She groaned and kept walking.

Eventually, after half a mile of this, Percy decided to give up hope of getting Annabeth back in the car, so he did the next best thing. Reaching out to grab his phone, he clicked on a name that lead to a number he had never actually called before. After four rings, someone picked up.

"Um, hello?" said a semi-familiar voice.

"Uh, hey Piper. It's Percy Jackson."

"Percy? Yeah, hey. Can I call you back? Kind of in the middle of-"

"Annabeth needs your help."

That seemed to grab her attention.

"Wait, what? Holy crap, is she okay? What happened?"

"Oh no, she's fine. Just being difficult. We, ah-" Percy wasn't sure how to tell her what happened. Frankly, he didn't really want to believe he had said the things he had. "We got in a fight on the way to your house and now she's walking home. She's refusing to let me give her a ride back... I can't just let her walk all the way like this."

After a brief moment of silence, Piper sighed, "Yeah, yeah, of course. I'm on my way."

"Awesome, thanks Piper."

"Don't thank me yet." She hung up.

Ten minutes later, Piper rolled up in her white BMW and Annabeth gladly stepped into the front seat. Sending one final glare in his direction, the girls sped off down the empty road.

Knowing that Annabeth was taken care of, Percy decided to go home and work on his next big project; getting her forgiveness.

* * *

 **Percy-7:27**

 **Annabeth, let's talk about this.**

 **Percy-7:54**

 **Please, I just want to work this out.**

 **Percy-8:39**

 **I'm seriously so sorry. I promise I didn't mean it. You're perfect; I don't have a problem with you being asexual.**

 **Percy-9:12**

 **Annie, come on let's just go back to normal.**

 **Percy-9:13**

 **Or at least Next to Normal :)**

 **Percy-9:14**

 **Come on, Annabeth. You're not one to ignore a quality N2N pun, are you?**

* * *

Percy wasn't sure if he meant all the things he was saying or not. In actuality, he really did feel guilty for saying that to her... But he would have felt guilty saying it to a straight girl who decided to maintain her celibacy.

But Percy knew that he would do or say anything for her to not be mad at him.

When his phone finally vibrated at 9:21, he instantly picked it up in hopes of a reply. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse when he saw that it was not Annabeth who had texted him, but Piper.

 ** _Piper-_** ** _9:21  
Hey Percy... I just want to say on the record that I do not condone what you said to Annabeth earlier today. If it were me I would have dumped you on the spot. But she's a much more forgiving person than I am. She'll be fine, just let her be for the night.  
But I'm saying this as her best friend; if you ever, ever do something like that again you'll have me to deal with. _**

After a quick response to Piper, thanking her for keeping him updated on Annabeth, Percy decided to just crank up the music and try going to sleep.  
Of course, with his luck, "Perfect for You" from _Next to Normal_ began playing, and he just felt guilty all over again.

 **Sorry, Percy was kind of a jerk in this chapter... He's also kind of a jerk in the next chapter too. Sorry; it's essential for the plot for him to be a jerk right now. If it helps, he'll go back to normal in a little bit... Kind of.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, and I really hope you review!**


	9. In the Eye of a Hurricane

Piper hadn't been lying when she said that Annabeth had forgiven him. By the next day, after a few awkward texts of "I'm sorry" "Yeah, it's okay. I'm sorry for overreacting", the couple was back to their regular routine of texting frequently and never actually touching each other.

Sometime in late April they both had their shows. Annabeth's only ran for one weekend, so Percy and Piper snuck out of rehearsal to go see it together (which had been a sufficiently awkward drive to say the least. While Annabeth had forgiven him, Piper was yet to be entirely friendly after the incident. However, they both knew how much it meant to Annabeth for them to be friends, so they decided to suck it up and act civil towards each other. It was the least they could do.)

For High School standards, it was a pretty good show. It was fairly obvious that Annabeth was the most experienced actor on that stage. And while she did a good job, it was clear to Percy why she had not gotten any previous roles at MRT. The Manchester Regional Theatre was where the best of the best (like Piper and Percy) were showcased. While Annabeth was still talented, she was by no means spectacular. Percy noticed that she tried to keep all of her songs in her chest voice, and he could hear quite a few notes that were strained.

But Annabeth was his girlfriend, so he told her how brilliant she was and that she really should reconsider majoring in theatre rather than History when she moved up to Boston in the fall (which Percy found himself oddly looking forward to). They snapped a few pictures to remember the event, and then Percy drove himself home. He didn't even look back to make sure Annabeth had a ride- Piper could just take her home.

About a week later, they repeated the routine when _Guys and Dolls_ was playing. Annabeth came down to the theatre, everyone asked her how her year was, where she was going to college, etc… and Percy found himself staring at Rachel quite frequently throughout the night.

It wasn't like Rachel had never shown interest in Percy before. Back whenever the show had just started, she had flirted with him endlessly. When he and Annabeth became an item, she eased up a little bit, but she had never exactly stopped. As the show went on, Percy found himself unintentionally paying more attention to Rachel than he did to Annabeth.

And Percy wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Bro," Jason said, pulling Percy into a corner. "We gotta talk."

Most of the cast had left already, including Piper and Annabeth.

"What's up, Jase?" Percy asked.

"Okay, you know how you're my best friend and that I would do anything for you?"

"Yeah, of course-"

"Then as your best friend, I am contractually obligated to tell you to get your head out of your ass and make up your mind."

"Excuse me?"

Jason sighed. "Look, I know this whole ace thing is a pain in the ass, but you gotta either deal with it or break up with her. You can't just string her along letting her believe that you can make this work. Don't get me wrong; Percabeth is still my OTP and all that jazz, but Annabeth's my friend too. I don't want this to get worse than it already is. If you're gonna be all over Rachel, you need to do it when you're not in a committed relationship."

"Jason," Percy started, trying to think of something to say. The problem was he couldn't, because deep down, he knew that Jason was right. However, Percy was still convinced that he was going to make this work. "I love Annabeth. We're just fine. This whole asexual thing will work itself out."

Jason looked unsure, but ultimately decided to drop it.

After another chaotic weekend of shows, _Guys and Dolls_ had officially come to a close. While Percy was sad to see his first lead role go, he was also thankful that he wouldn't have to see Rachel on a day-to-day basis anymore; it was getting too hard to ignore his feelings for her.

Before he knew it, Percy was sitting at a high school graduation. At the beginning, they'd acknowledged Annabeth and the five other valedictorians. Percy felt proud of her; it felt like she'd been talking about this moment since the day they met.

The day they met… That was almost a year ago. Frankly, Percy was having a hard time remembering his life before Annabeth. It all seemed so irrelevant until she had stepped in. He hadn't realized how much he needed her until she was by his side.

He cheered louder than anyone else (trying to compensate for her lack of parents at the ceremony) as they called "Annabeth Jane Chase." He zoned out until he heard "Piper Elizabeth McLean" and decided to give Piper a whooping cheer as well.

The afterparty was at the McLean's house; a small intimate gathering of close family and friends. Annabeth threw on a nice facade, but Percy could tell she had been hoping for her parents to show up.

Annabeth smiled when she saw him, and of course Percy smiled back. It felt unnatural not to do so.

"I'm so proud of you, Annie," he beamed in complete honesty, because even though his feelings were fading, that didn't mean he couldn't be proud of what she'd accomplished.

"I know," she smiled back, looking the most content he'd seen her since New York.

Percy wished he could hold this moment forever. There was nothing wrong, nothing trying to break them apart, nothing ruining the moment.

Unknown to both of them, Piper managed to snap a picture of that contentment… She'd send that to Annabeth later.

* * *

Summer flew by faster than anyone had anticipated. For the first time in what felt like forever, Percy was amazed at how happy he was. His new friend group, consisting of Annabeth, Jason, and Piper, was possibly the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. The Fantastic Four would spend days on end at Jason's lake house in Laconia, driving the boat around, swimming in the water, going out to get fish chowder and grilled cheese every Friday afternoon… It all just seemed so perfect.

Percy was so relieved that he was feeling those feelings towards Annabeth again. Something just seemed to snap back into place… Although it still felt slightly off, Percy thought it was best not to question it. They weren't fighting, and that was all that mattered.

But all Summers have to come to a close sometime. It was their last night on the lake; Jason's parents had decided to head back to Manchester that night, trusting the teenagers to make smart choices on their own. Of course, smart choices for them included pounding some rum and coke while watching the sunset on the beach one last time.

"God, I can't believe I'm moving tomorrow," Piper sighed in disbelief.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Jason groaned. "I don't need to lose both of my platonic bitches."

Percy lightly kicked Jason on the arm, as if to reprimand him for calling his girlfriend a bitch.

"What?" Jason defended. "I said platonic…"

"NYU isn't all that far away, Pipes. I mean, Percy and I managed to make the drive in one night." Annabeth said, a casual smirk growing on her face.

"Annabeth, we get it. You and Percg ran off to New York in the middle of the school year. We acknowledge that you are far more adventurous than all of us combined. Can we move on?" Jason exasperated. It was true that Annabeth did mention New York semi-frequently; it was her favorite thing to discuss.

"Sorry," Annabeth said (not sounding sorry at all.) "I just hope Piper doesn't grow to accustomed to the Yankees; the Red Sox are gonna kick their ass this year."

Jason took a swig from his solo cup, and visibly winced when he came up for air.

"Maybe we should slow down," Percy suggested. It was no secret that he as the most responsible out of the four of them.

"Probably for the best," Piper agreed, her blue eyes slightly glazed over.

"We could play a drinking game?" Annabeth threw out, sitting up from her position on the floor.

"Like what?" Jason questioned.

"What, do I have to think of all the ideas around here?" Annabeth shot back at him, her intoxication making her remarks slightly less witty.

"Oh, we could play Logs!" Jason suggested.

Percy gave him a questioning look, and Annabeth quickly asked, "Logs?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jason started, enthusiasm radiating through his voice. " What you do is go outside, and get a hammer, nails, and a log. Someone will throw the hammer up in the air, catch it, and if they can get the nail into the log without taking a beat, then everyone else had to drink. But if they can't, then they have to drink."

"That is literally the worst idea I've ever heard," Percg said after a beat.

"What's wrong with it?" Jason questioned, somewhat offended.

"Well, for starters, I don't think any of us have a death wish."

"People play it all the time back in Manchester!"

"I don't know if I trust you anywhere near a hammer…" Annabeth said, skeptically.

Jason pouted and said, "Well, let me know when you guys have any better ideas."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Piper exclaimed, and idea flashing across her face. "We could like, tell stories. Who ever had the best one doesn't have to drink."

"You totally got that idea from Looking for Alaska."

"Shhhh…"

"Well, anything is better than Logs."

"What is so bad about Logs?!"

So they decided to play Piper's game. First round; most embarrassing moments. Percy started them off.

"Okay, well this happened maybe two months ago. I had just found out that my director had scheduled a 8:00am rehearsal. Naturally, my first instinct was to text Annabeth and complain about it. I typed out a quick little, 'Oh fuck damn it, I hate rehearsing this early. That's the time I spend worshipping my Lord and Savior, Lucifer.' Annabeth would have understood that I was joking. However, my Mother did not, and she was the one I wound up sending that text to. Now she's been making me go to Church every Sunday, just to make sure I 'stay pure'."

Annabeth chuckled beneath her breath. "You haven't told me that yet."

"I've been too busy at church to text you about it."

"Well," Piper started, "As awful as that is, you have nothing on me. It was my very first solo at MRT. I was maybe 12 or 13, or something like that. Honestly, I can't even remember what show it was for. Well, it was also my first time wearing character shoes on stage, and I wasn't quite used to having on heels during that song. Right in the middle of my solo, just as I was getting comfortable with my material, I ate shit. In front of 500 people, I face planted right on stage. The worst part is that there was a huge tear in my tights that I didn't even notice until the Stage Manager pointed it out to me once I got back off. Boom, top that."

"Oh, so we're going for embarrassing on stage moments? Okay, so get this," Annabeth said. "It was the Summer before 7th grade, so I would have been 12. I was in Children of Eden down at MRT, and it was our opening night. For that show, surprise surprise, I was just in the ensemble. Well, the ensemble for that show was dressed all in white. Of course, being the 12 year old that I was, the last thing I anticipated was getting my period. On stage. With hundreds of people watching. It managed to seep through my costume without me noticing, and poor little Nico di Angelo, who was 11 at the time and had no idea what a period was, brought the director over because he thought that I had injured myself on stage. You bitches better drink up, because it doesn't get any worse than that."

"Not so fast," Jason interrupted. "You guys have nothing on me. One day I got up and ran from my math class because I had to throw up. I only made it to the hallway just around the corner from the classroom. I vomited so hard that I farted audibly a couple times. My teacher came rushing from the room while I was still puking. She ran by me muttering something about finding the janitor. I left all of my things in class and sulked off to the nurse's office to avoid facing my classmates after the symphony I just produced"

As awful as all of their stories were, the award ended up going to Annabeth.

"As the winner," she said. "I get to chose the next round. Let's do biggest fear. I'll start; being buried alive."

"Seriously? That's what you're afraid of?" Jason questioned.

"Um, yeah. While we're discussing this, I want you to know here and now that I expect to be cremated. I want to be sure that I'm actually dead before ya'll put me six feet under."

"Reasonable request," Percy said. "I guess mine would have to be getting in a car crash."

"Lame," Jason said to him. "Have something that's actually worth being afraid of. Like getting eaten by tigers."

"So, we have buried alive, car crash, and eaten by tigers." Percy said. "Pipes, you can easily win this round."

She glanced up, a pensive look in her eyes. "Well, I know you're probably expecting me to say something like heights, but that's not it. I took this Relationship class back in high school, and I learned that most people fall out of love for the same reasons they fall in it. Their once endearing qualities now become immature and irritating. So yeah, that's my biggest fear. Falling out of love with someone."

There was a silence that followed her speech.

"I think Piper won that round, you guys." Jason said, taking a drink. Percy and Annabeth followed carefully in agreement.

After a few more rounds, Piper and Jason finally decided to go back inside the house in order to evaluate the ice-cream situation.

Percy tightened his arm around Annabeth for what he felt like was going to be the last time.

"I'm gonna miss you so much." he said, disregarding all notes of cliche.

"I know," she replied, gazing out over the lake, as if maybe the answer to all of their problems were hidden out there. "But hey, BC is only three hours away. If we can make the drive to New York, Boston should be a breeze. Besides, it's not like I won't come home to visit my pare- the McLean's." she corrected herself.

"Psh, there's no way you're gonna want to come back to New Hampshire after living it up in Massachusetts." Percy teased, accidentally allowing a hint of sadness through his voice.

"Hey, remember what we talked about at that McDonalds? We promised that we would always come home to each other. I don't intend on breaking that promise, do you?"

"No," Percy said. "There's no way in hell I'm breaking that."

"Then I won't either."

"But most couples-"

"Percy, when have we ever been anything like most couples?"

 _Most couples have at least some form of physical contact,_ Percy didn't say.

* * *

Five days passed, Percy found himself saying a difficult goodbye to his best friend as she packed her bags for Boston. Not having heard from her parents all Summer, the Tristan and Michelle McLean were more than happy to help move their unofficial-foster-daughter into her dorm.

Percy waved to her as she drove off in Cas, no doubt blasting some type of show tune that he wasn't able to hear from where he was standing. Before he even had time to think about what he was going to do without her by his side, he felt his pocket vibrate.

 _ **Annabeth-8:23**_

 _ **Miss me yet?**_

 **Percy-8:23**

 **You wish. Jase and I can finally have some fun without you two around.**

 _ **Annabeth-8:26**_

 _ **Yeah, you won't be saying that for too much longer.**_

 **Percy-8:27**

 **We'll see.**

 **HOLY FUCK ANNABETH, DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE BEFORE YOU EVEN GET TO COLLEGE.**

With that little warning, Annabeth didn't respond to his text until 45 minutes later.

 _ **Annabeth-9:13**_

 _ **Concern noted. First pee break; check**_

She continued texting him at every stop she made until he finally received a picture of the Boston College campus with the caption made it typed below. Throughout the day, he continued getting pictures from her. These pictures ranged from posters she hung on her walls, the bed she had gotten set up, a selfie with her new roommate, and anything you could possibly imagine.

 ** _Annabeth-11:04_**

 ** _Goodnight, Perce._**

 **Percy-11:05**

 **Goodnight, Annie.**

 **Hey! Hope you guys liked the chapter! Sorry, it all kinda goes downhill from here. Please review!**


	10. The Girl That was Burning so Brightly

Percy didn't realize how much he relied on Annabeth in his everyday life until she was gone. He found himself texting her, only to get a response an hour and a half later saying "sorry, I was in class." Percy missed her more than he thought he would.

So, in order to fill the hole left by Annabeth Chase, Percy decided to drown himself in audition material. Ever since _Guys and Dolls_ , Percy had become the fan favorite for playing Seymour in _Little Shop of Horrors_ , which was the next big show at MTR. He studied his music endlessly, rehearsing and analyzing every last note before the audition the next day.

* * *

 ** _September 3rd_**

 _ **Annabeth-4:20**_

 _ **#blazeit**_

 **Percy-4:21**

 **Really? You of all people?**

 _ **Annabeth-4:22**_

 _ **College life has changed me, homie. How's the audition coming?**_

 **Percy-4:29**

 **Pretty good. Or, at least I hope it's going pretty good.**

 _ **Annabeth-4:29**_

 _ **I'm sure it is. Although, it's a bummer that they're doing Little Shop now; they shoulda done it while Piper was still in town. She'd be a killer Audrey.**_

 **Percy-4:37**

 **That's what everyone has been saying.**

 _ **Annabeth-4:38**_

 _ **Speaking of Piper, did you hear? She's a featured dancer in the NYU show this year.**_

 **Percy-4:42**

 **No way? Cool! You know what show it is?**

 _ **Annabeth-4:43**_

 _ **I didn't recognize the name, which basically means it's the most obscure-ass show on the planet.**_

* * *

 ** _September 5th_**

 _ **Annabeth-11:23**_

 _ **Be sure to text me when the list comes out. I'll be in class so I won't be able to check it**_

 **Percy-11:27**

 **Which class?**

 ** _Annabeth-11:28_**

 _ **Psychology behind the Holocaust. It's a great class and my Professor is totally chill, but I'm gonna want to be paying attention, and not be checking my phone every 3 seconds.**_

 **Percy-12:46**

 **HOLY SHIT I'M SEYMOUR**

 _ **Annabeth-12:46**_

 _ **SH** **IT NO WAY**_

 _ **CALLED IT**_

 _ **MAN YOU'RE GONNA KILL IT**_

 _ **Who else made it?**_

 **Percy-1:08**

 **Jason is the plant (probably for the best so no one has to look at his face), the Trio is gonna be Katie, Silena, and that Nyssa chick.**

 _ **Annabeth-1:09**_

 _ **Solid cast! But wait; who's Audrey?**_

 **Percy-1:36**

 **Rachel.**

 _ **Annabeth-2:51**_

 _ **Sorry, I was in class. And, cool! I know you guys have really nice on-stage chemistry. I can't wait to see the show! I'll have to come down for it. Speaking of coming down, I miss you! When would be a nice weekend (in the near future) for us to have a little Fantastic Four reunion? We should try and do it before Pipes gets too deep into rehearsals.**_

* * *

Annabeth and Piper did end up coming home for a weekend, and it was great while it lasted. But just like that Summer, it had to come to an end sooner than anyone had expected. They said that they would try and come back down again sometime soon, but everyone knew that it was an unintentional lie. While both girls wanted to be back home, they had both started their own lives; Piper was remarkably busy trying to make a name for herself at one of the biggest performing arts schools in the world, and Annabeth was fighting to stay top of her class in order to keep her scholarships.

Not to mention, with both Jason and Percy having lead roles, they had quite a lot on their plates as well. When they weren't at MRT, they were memorizing lines and melodies, or just freaking out in general because this was a huge ass show that no one was emotionally prepared for.

* * *

 ** _October 4th_**

 **Percy-12:18**

 **For the first time in a month, Jase and I have Saturday and Sunday off. Please tell me you can get away for the weekend?**

 _ **Annabeth-12:29**_

 _ **Are you serious? Ugh, this bums me out! I have a huge Calc test on Monday, and my teacher is holding an emergency study session for all us basic bitches who don't know how to math. How about next weekend?**_

 **Percy-12:34**

 **Can't; we're doing choreo for the opening number, and that's kind of an essential thing for me to be in.**

 _ **Annabeth-12:35**_

 _ **Hey, it's okay. We'll be fine. I'll come home sometime soon. We can wait a few more weeks :)**_

* * *

"Too bad I have nothing to wait for." Percy exclaimed, not necessarily to anyone.

"You okay, Percy?" a voice from behind him said. Percy whipped his head around to see Rachel standing there. _She must be on break too_ , he thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Percy grumbled honestly. "Annabeth is just pissing me off."

"Your girlfriend?" Rachel asked, sitting down next to him, taking her red hair out of its high ponytail.

"Yeah, if you can say that…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, scooting closer to him.

"Well," Percy began. "I guess it started when we went to New York together back in March…"

And so he spilled it. Not like it was necessarily his story to tell, but it all came tumbling out. Every. Last. Detail.

"Asexual?" she questioned. "Is that even a real thing?"

"Frankly, I'm not sure."

"I mean," she said, blinking her clear blue eyes at him. "It sounds made up. Like, something a girl uses when she really doesn't want to hook up with someone."

"What?"

"Well, you know. People aren't gonna make a _gay_ guy sleep with a chick. If someone says that their sexuality is _not_ having sex… Well, you get the picture."

"I never really thought of it that way..."

She sighed. "Well, it's not really my business, but if I were in her shoes, I wouldn't put you through something like that. It's borderline abusive."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right it is..." Percy nodded.

"Look Percy, I just hope you realize how really freaking weird it is how Annabeth treats you. You deserve better than her. You should be with someone who's confident, and exciting. Someone who can give you what you need… Someone like me."

As the rehearsal came to a close, and Percy decided to turn off his brain. He didn't need it right now.

* * *

 _ **Jason-11:06**_

 _ **Percy-, I saw you get in the car with Rachel. Don't do anything you're going to regret**_

 _ **Jason-11:24**_

 _ **I'm serious, man. Think about this. You. Love. Annabeth. Don't do this to her, or yourself.**_

 _ **Jason-11:32**_

 _ **Percy, dude just text me back. What's going on?**_

 _ **Jason-11:39**_

 _ **If you don't respond in the next five minutes, I'm bringing in the big guns.**_

 _ **Jason-11:44**_

 _ **You asked for it.**_

 _ **Piper=11:46**_

 _ **Percy, I swear to God if you're doing what I think you are doing right now it will be the last mistake you will ever make.**_

 _ **Piper-11:46**_

 _ **Because this is a mistake.**_

 _ **Piper-11:48**_

 _ **Annabeth is my best friend and you need to show her at least some respect.**_

 _ **Piper-11:49**_

 _ **If you have to do it, at least break up with her first.**_

 _ **Piper-11:52**_

 _ **I thought you were better than this. Clearly I thought wrong. If you don't tell Annabeth, I will.**_

 _ **Annabeth-12:14**_

 _ **Hey Perce! Hopefully rehearsal went well for you! I'm still really looking forward to seeing the show! So, I saw Rachel's tweet… I'm not mad or anything, but why are you at her house this late? You need to go to bed! You should at least try and get some sleep with your crazy schedule.**_

 _ **Annabeth-12:46**_

 _ **Perce, is all okay?**_

 _ **Annabeth-3:03**_

 _ **Hey… So Piper just told me what happened. But there's no way that's the truth, right? That's insane. Just a misunderstanding.**_

 _ **Annabeth-3:07**_

 _ **I just called Jase… He said the same thing Pipes did. Percy, is it true?**_

 _ **Annabeth-3:15**_

 _ **Perce, I promise I'm not mad at you.**_

 _ **Annabeth-3:17**_

 _ **Just text me back, we can work this out**_

 _ **Annabeth-3:18**_

 _ **Even if you did it, that's okay**_

 _ **Annabeth-3:19**_

 _ **Percy, let's just talk about it**_

 _ **Annabeth-4:49**_

 _ **Percy?**_

 _ **Annabeth-6:12**_

 _ **So is this it? Is this your way of breaking up with me?**_

 _ **Annabeth-7:05**_

 _ **Are we done?**_

 _ **Annabeth-8:24**_

 _ **You have to at least tell me**_

 _ **Annabeth-9:12**_

 _ **Please?**_

 _ **Annabeth-11:11**_

 _ **I'm sorry I wasn't enough for you.**_

* * *

 **Okay, so I'm sure everyone is going to give me crap for this being OOC. Well, it's my story, and it's an AU. I've already written the entire story, and this needed to happen. Sorry if I bummed you out, but I promise the next chapter is much more in character.**

 **Also, I would like to address something rather important to me. There are different ace spectrums. Some asexuals want romantic attraction, and some don't. In this case, Annabeth loves Percy very much, but is vastly uncomfortable with hand-holding and kissing. While that does not apply to all asexuals, it applys to Annabeth (and myself). I also want you guys to understand that in this chapter and the previous ones, Percy is still just a teenage boy. He has hormones, and it's frustrating to him. While I do not condone what he did in the least, it does not make him a bad person. Please, please, please understand this. Thank you so much!**

 **Please review!**


	11. All We'd Never Be

**Hey guys! Just a quick note before you start reading this chapter; in case you don't pick up on this, all the text that is centered and italics are flashbacks. It's all conversations that Percy and Annabeth have had before, and if you go back and look, you can find them. Or just take my word for it. Happy reading!**

* * *

Out of all the nicknames New York City has acquired throughout its existence, Percy Jackson could tell you that "The City that Never Sleeps" was by far the most accurate. He had spent the last five years of his life there, and he's probably only had three nights of pure, solid sleep.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

The way the lights of the city seemed to change each night; how the people hurried past each other; and just how the entire town just seemed to breath life and excitement… It was a picture of perfection.

Just like Percy himself.

Being homeschooled, he didn't exactly have a passion or drive to go to college, but he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Naturally, he made his way up to the City right after he turned 18. One of his friends from MRT, who had graduated from high school a few years back, was happy to let his old buddy share an apartment with him until Percy learned the ways of the busy town.

It didn't take too long for Percy to get booked. He just happened to be in the right place and the right time. Just happened to audition for the perfect show with the perfect song, and just happened to have the most perfect chemistry with the female lead.

He wasn't sure it could get any better than that.

Of course, that was five years ago… And it did managed to get better. After the recognition he got from his first big show, there were dozens of casting directors asking him to audition for their next musical.

So there he was; 23 years old, one of the biggest Broadway names, already raking in the money… Nothing could possibly go wrong for him.

Or at least, that's what he thought. But of course, reality tends to hit when you least expect it.

In the case, reality hit Percy while he was in the middle of rehearsing for a new show. Now, it was a very laid back rehearsal, and not too much was weighing on how he did; at this point, he could get any job he wanted. So when his phone began to ring, he felt confident enough to call a brief time-out so he could take the call.

He glanced down, expecting to see his agent's name glowing across the screen. Instead, his eyes were met by an unfamiliar number, with an even more unfamiliar area code.

 _That's weird_ , Percy thought. _This isn't from New York or Manchester…_

But he had already called for a break, so he clicked "accept," held the phone to his ear, and said, "Percy Jackson."

He was met with silence.

"Hello?" he said, taking a step out into the hallway so his nosy coworkers couldn't hear what he was saying.

"Sorry," said the woman on the other end. "Sorry to bother you at work _…_ "

Percy thought for a moment, seeing if he could place the voice. After a moment of failure, he asked, "Who is this?"

"I'm… I'm calling from Boston General Hospital-"

 _Boston? Who do I know that lives in- oh…_

" _-_ I was told that I could reach you at this number. Annabeth Chase wanted me to call you for her."

"Is this a joke?" Percy said harshly. He could feel his voice getting softer and softer, not wanting to take the chance that anyone in his new life knew about what he had done. "Who the hell is this?"

There was a weighted pause and the lady- Percy still hadn't learned her name- took a deep breath.

"Annabeth wanted… She told me to _…_ " she seemed to be at a loss for words. After an exasperated sigh, she said, "look, I know you guys haven't spoken for years. She told me that. She also told me that you'd probably be angry when I called _-_ "

"Then why'd you bother?" he snapped.

"Because Annabeth asked me to. There's something that you need to know."

Percy glared at the wall and said, "make it quick. I'm in the middle of a rehearsal."

"She wants to see you. That's it."

Percy scoffed, "She should know that I can't do that."

"She's sick."

"Listen lady, I don't know why you think you call me about this-"

"She's dying."

"-but I ended it with her years ago. I'm a busy person; I don't have time to worry about whenever she gets the flu or something. Now I need to leave-"

"I know how difficult this must be for you," the lady said, "but she really wants to see you.

Percy stopped, his face contorted into a look of pure anger.

"What did you say?"

"Annabeth is dying, Mr. Jackson. She's very sick."

"You're lying," Percy said simply. It was the only explanation. "I don't know who you are, probably one of her college buddies, and you're pissed at me because I fucked another girl while I was still with her. Well, I was in high school. High schoolers are allowed to fuck up sometimes. You can't just call me saying that my ex-girlfriend is dying and expect me to care."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Jackson."

"I'm fucking sorry too. That you think you can call me in the middle of rehearsal, and tell me some BS lie about her to make me feel like shit. Because this is absolute bullshit!"

"I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying that!" Percy screamed, his voice cracking in anger. He could feel his coworkers peering at him through the glass door, so he turned his head so he could ignore them. "Quit apologizing for some lie."

"She wants to see you."

"What?"

"She wants to see you," the lady repeated. "She hasn't asked for anyone else. No family, no friends, no one. Just her high school ex-boyfriend."

Percy's hand clenched into a fist, and his vision began to blur slightly. His stomach was turning in deep knots he felt could never be unraveled.

"Why… Why would she want to see me? We ended it six years ago. I haven't even talked to her since."

"She's dying, Mr. Jackson."

"Where… Where'd you say you were from?"

"Boston General Hospital."

"How much time?" Percy asked. "And don't bullshit me here."

"Sir, I'm no doctor…"

" _Don't_ bullshit me."

"From what I've heard," she sighed, "Probably another month. Maybe more… Maybe less."

"No," Percy said instantly. "There's no way…"

"I'm sorry, Percy."

"I have to… I have to go."

With a soft click, she was gone and Percy was alone again.

 _This is a joke_ , Percy thought. _There's no way this isn't a joke. This is her sick way of getting revenge after what had happened all those years ago. There was no way that she was actually dying. After all, she had always been perfectly healthy when they were together, right?_

His head began to ache with all the thoughts springing around his mind, so he sat down against the wall, took a deep breath, and pulled out his phone. His finger scrolled through his contacts, until he saw the name he was looking for. Tapping lightly on the screen, he pulled his phone up to his ear, hoping to God that they would answer.

After three solid rings, Percy felt a rush of relief rush over him when he heard that amazing familiar voice say, "Hey Perce, what's going on?"

"Hey Jase," Micah said, that relief echoing out of his voice through a half projected laugh. However, that laugh didn't last for too much longer as Percy remembered the real reason he was calling his high school buddy. "I just… I just got a really weird call-"

"Bro, you're my best friend and all, but we're 22. I don't need to hear about your phone sex anymore."

"Not that," Percy snapped, trying to not be angered with Jason's jokes in such a serious situation. He had to remind himself that Jase probably didn't know any better. "It was, uh… It was someone saying they were from the Boston General Hospital."

"Boston?" Jason asked, confusion rising in his voice. "Wait-"

"It was, uh… They were calling about…"

Somehow Jason managed to read his best friend's mind because he was able to conjure up the words Percy could not. "Percy," he said slowly, his voice having lost all of its usual charm. "Were they calling about Annabeth?"

Percy closed his eyes, hoping that maybe if he shut them tight enough, the rest of the world might disappear. "Yeah... "

"What's… What's wrong? Is she- is she-?"

"She's dying, Jason," Percy whispered, finally admitting it to himself.

Through the phone, Percy heard Jason take a sharp breath of pure shock. Percy was happy that he couldn't currently see Jason's face; he didn't think he would have been able to handle it.

"Holy shit," Jason finally sighed. "Wait, how? What all did they tell you?'

"Not much," Percy admitted. "Just that she's in Boston, and that… and that…"

"And what, Percy?" Jason questioned, wanting more answers.

"That she's only got about another month."

"Oh…" he said softly. It was silent for a moment, before another question cropped up in Jason's mind. "Do you think Piper knows? How about her parents? Do we know if she ever got back in contact with them? Doesn't she have an older brother-?"

"Jason." Percy said, cutting him off. "Apparently, she only wants to see me."

"What?"

"I'm the only person they called. No one else knows."

"Oh…" Jason repeated, running out of words to say.

"I mean," Percy continued, "We broke up six years ago, I don't know why the hell she'd even want to see me."

"Well," Jason said, getting his voice back. "I mean, it kinda makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying that I get why she wants to see you. She probably wants to get a little closure. If I'm remembering it correctly, and I do believe I am, you never _technically_ broke up with her. You just kinda-"

"Slept with another girl and never spoke to her again? Yeah, Jase. I remember" Percy snapped bitterly.

Needless to say, it hadn't ended well with Rachel either. After the night they spent together, Percy tried so hard to love her the same way he had loved Annabeth, but he just couldn't bring himself to. Every time he looked at her, he felt a stab of guilt and a constant reminder of how badly he'd fucked up.

"Okay, Perce. I know this is a hard situation for you, but I really think you should go see her. If you don't, I know that you're gonna end up regretting it for the rest of your life."

"But what if I don't want to see her?"

"Then she is going to regret _you_ for the rest of hers."

"But what about her parents? What about Piper? What about-?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll call Pipes, and maybe she can get ahold of the Chases. For now, you just focus on getting to Boston."

"Jase…" Percy said, his voice catching in his throat. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Percy, don't do it for yourself. Do it for Annie. Keep me posted, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I will"

He hung up the phone, feeling even more confused than ever.

* * *

After ten minutes of carefully weighing the options, Percy got bored, said "fuck it," and hopped in his car to drive to Boston. He didn't give himself enough time to question what he was doing; he didn't give himself enough time to question the insanity behind dropping everything in his spectacular life for one person.

 _"This is the craziest thing I've ever done."_

 _"Well, it's still early"_

Before he knew it, Percy was entering through the glass doors of the Boston General Hospital. The shockingly white walls stung his tired eyes, but he still made his way up to the front desk.

Sitting there was a receptionist, who looked as if she were in her late 40's, typing vigorously on a very nice desktop computer.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Percy questioned, getting a glance up from the receptionist. "I'm looking for, a… someone? Do you know where I could find her?"

The receptionist gave him a quizzical look, and said, "You're going to have to be a little more specific for me to help you out."

"Oh. yeah…" Percy stuttered. The truth was, he didn't want to say her name. It had been years since those syllables had left his mouth, and something about it make him vastly uncomfortable.

"Wait a second," she said, eyes narrowing in realization. "Are you Percy Jackson?"

A twitch of confusion struck Percy, as he took an instinctive step away from the desk. "How do you-?"

"We spoke on the phone yesterday," she said with a soft smile. "I wasn't really expecting any other 22 year old guys in here, and I guess I recognize your voice from yesterday."

"Right," Percy replied, his muscles relaxing, and a faint blush growing on his cheek. Percy noted that he probably hadn't been the most pleasant person to converse with yesterday... Looking at her now, Percy felt a pang of guilt weighing in his stomach for the way he snapped at her. However, she did not appear to resent him for that… Percy figured that was because she was a Hospital receptionist; she was likely used to strangers screaming at her over the phone.

"Well, Annabeth is in room 315. Although, you're gonna want to check with the nurse on that floor before you go in. They'll inform you of her condition and what to expect."

After a quick "thank you," Percy began the trot up to the third floor. As he stepped into the hall, a rush of nerves trickled through his veins. This wasn't like his usual pre-show nerves; no, he recognized this feeling, and was not too happy to have it back. These were _Annabeth_ nerves. He felt them the first time she had given him a ride home in that stupid little car of hers, he felt them when he held her hand as he ran through the coffee shop on that Christmas years ago, and he felt them here and now as he prepared himself to see her on her deathbed.

 _No,_ Percy reminded himself. _Not her deathbed. She's perfectly fine. Just the flu or something. And even if she is dying (which she isn't), why would it matter to you? You broke up with her, remember?_

While lost in his thoughts of denial, a nurse quickly approached him, and asked "How can I help you?"

"Yeah, hi," Percy said, his thoughts flushing back to his head. "I'm looking for room 315?"

He still couldn't get himself to say that damn name.

The young nurse got a sly smile on her face, and excitedly said, "Oh, you must be Percy! Boy, will she be happy to see you."

"And you are-?"

"Oh, right. Hi, I'm Hazel. I've been Janie's nurse since she got admitted."

Hazel appeared to be maybe 26 or 27 years old with big dark curls that she kept pulled back in a pony tail. She smiled, and began leading Percy down the hall.

"Janie-?" Percy questioned, unsure if he had heard her right.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Hazel corrected. "We didn't have an ID for her in the first two weeks, so she was just a Jane Doe. For some reason we just started calling her Janie until she woke up, and I guess it stuck!"

 _"Annabeth Jane Chase,_

 _I know when you're lying. Just tell me."_

"You're not wrong, you know" Percy said.

"Excuse me?" Hazel said, glancing back.

"About the name," Percy clarified. "I mean, her middle name is Jane. Annabeth Jane Chase."

"No kidding?" Hazel laughed, her smile almost contagious. Something about her made Percy a little more at east with the situation. He couldn't put his finger on it, but this Hazel girl just brought a lighter atmosphere to this dingy place.

After a few more paces, they had reached a closed door marked _315_. Percy was ready to charge in, but Hazel glanced at him with a suddenly sympathetic look on her face.

"Okay, Percy, I just want to warn you," Hazel started. "Annabeth is seriously sick, and it shows. She's not going to be the same person you knew in high school."

"Yeah, I know," Percy said.

"Just making sure." With that, Hazel opened the door and carefully peaked in. "Hey Anna, there's someone here to see you."

Taking that as his cue, Percy stepped through the door into a painfully white room and rested his eyes on an even more painful sight. Lying on a cold hospital bed was the high school love of his life. He could hardly recognize her. Frankly, Micah was surprised there was anything left to be recognized. The girl who used to have stretch marks covering her body was now skeletally thin; Percy could swear he could see her bones. Her once thick curls now sat dejectedly in a nest perched above her shoulder. She was pale to begin with, but her skin now looked translucent against the white hospital walls. A small tube ran up from a machine into her nostrils, no doubt supplying her only lifeline.

The only comfort Percy had was, as always, in those eyes. Those damn eyes that were always optimistically shining bright grey, no matter how dire the situation was.

Those same eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as they noticed Percy enter the room.

"Percy?" Her voice was notably weaker than when they had parted ways six years ago. But Percy could still hear a sense of familiarity within it.

"Hey Annie," Percy choked out. It felt strange saying her name again after all those years. He had been so petrified to speak them before, but now that he was looking at her, it just came so naturally. Percy was certain that he was over Annabeth; he had been over her since before they had even broken up. But looking at her now… So broken… So shattered… It made Percy feel more lost ever before.

He brought his hands to his eyes and tried to rub away the tears that were inevitably coming out of his eyes. He hadn't expected this. She was suppose to be okay… She was supposed to be-

"No, Percy, don't cry. I'm so, so happy right now, please don't cry. I'm so glad you're here," she said, her voice radiating the same sunshine it had in high school.

It was too painful to look at her in this condition, so Percy kept his eyes fixated on the window that looked out over the Boston skyline.

"I didn't think you would come," Annabeth smiled at him.

"I almost didn't," Percy said, not wanting to lie to her anymore than he already had.

"I don't blame you…" Annabeth attempted to joke.

"You should," Percy said, unofficially changing the subject to something that was no doubt resting on both of their minds.

"I did," she admitted. "At first I blamed a lot of things. I blamed Piper, I blamed Rachel; hell, I blamed myself for a pretty long time. But I don't want to blame anyone anymore. I'm so, so tired of blaming people and being angry at the world. I'm just so _tired_ , Percy. I want to be happy. Let's just be happy."

"What's there to be happy about, Annie?" Percy said, his hurt emotions overpowering his usual sense of judgement.

"You kept your promise," she said, simply.

 _"Look, how about this-_

 _I promise to always come home to you,_

 _if you promise to always come home to me. Deal?"_

 _"Deal."_

"No, Annabeth, don't you dare say that."

"Look at me, Perce-"

"I can't-"

"Percy, it's okay-

"Annie, you know that I can't-"

"Just take a minute-"

"No-no-no-"

"Percy, look at me." Her voice wasn't angry; it was soft and light and easy. Her voice was comforting… Percy brought his eyes up, and they finally connected with hers.

"Annie, I left you-"

"But you're here now," said said, as if that made it all okay. As if that erased every bad thing that had ever happened between them. "And I'm so happy to see you."

For a moment, all they did was just stare into each other, taking in every detail as if it were the last time they would ever get to see one and other. They duo didn't even notice when Hazel had returned to the room, bearing a tray full of medicine.

"Sorry to interrupt the reunion," Hazel said, interrupting the reunion. "But I need Anna to take her afternoon meds."

"Oh, right," Annabeth nodded, as if her sickness had completely escaped her mind. Looking somewhat embarrassed, she said, "I totally forgot about those… Percy, do you mind not watching this? It's kind of… Well, it's a little-"

"It's okay, Annie; I understand. I'll be out in the hallway."

She gave him one last smile as he took a step outside. Once he knew he was out of her sight, Percy felt himself collapse onto the floor. His body started shaking, and he wasn't even sure what was causing it. He felt those damn tears flow out of his eyes and pierce his skin like the blade of a knife. He didn't bother to stop them this time. He leaned up against the wall in attempt to cease the room from spinning, but it kept circling around in a whirlwind of memories. Eventually, he just let the world fall.

After what felt like an eternity (but was, in reality about three minutes), Hazel stepped out into the hall. She gave Percy a concerned look, and bent down so she could speak to him on his level.

"She'll be fine for now," Hazel reassured, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder. "But she's gonna be asleep for a few hours. My shift ends in about five minutes; how about we go grab a cup of coffee and swap stories?"

"Do nurses normally do that?" Percy questioned.

Hazel laughed. "I'd hardly call Maison a normal patient. Give me five minutes."

* * *

"I take it you're a coffee person?" Hazel asked after Percy began chugging the extra large black coffee he had just received.

"Oh, you have no idea," Percy responded. He hadn't realized how much he needed that caffeine until it was coursing through his veins, slowly bringing his senses back to their usual standards.

"Let me remind you that I'm a nurse at a General Hospital; I think I have a pretty good idea of what exhaustion feels like," she retorted. Getting somewhat serious, she said "Let's get down to business; I'd like to know what happened between you and Annabeth."

Percy felt his face flush with humiliation.

"It's not exactly my favorite subject to discuss."

"Yeah, well I've only heard about you through a very biased opinion."

"A what?"

"You heard me. The way Anna talks about you; it's like you were a god or something. But she won't bring up what exactly happened between you."

This peaked Percy's growing curiosity.

"What… What did she say about me?"

Hazel smiled and said "Damn near everything, it seems. I feel like I already know you. But her favorite thing was New York. I swear to God, she mentions it at least twice a day… It sounds like you guys were really happy."

"We were."

"Then what happened? And don't tell me that you don't know; because based on the side of the story that I know, there's no way Anna just 'accidentally' ended up in the hospital. Something messed her up real bad, and all the evidence points to you. So, tell me; what happened?"

Percy sighed, knowing that he was going to have to talk about it sooner or later, but he didn't trust himself enough to find the right words.

Eventually, he settled on, "I fucked up."

"And there's nothing more to it than that?"

"For now? Nope; that's all you're gonna get."

Hazel huffed and took another sip of coffee in irritation.

"However," he continued. "I need you to tell me what happened to her. There's no way the perfectly healthy Annabeth Chase I left behind turned into this without a little help."

"Listen Percy," Hazel started. "Even _I'm_ a little cloudy on the details, and I'm practically the only person she's spoken to since she woke up."

"Just tell me what you do know. Please."

"Okay, fine. But just a disclaimer, you're not going to like it"

"I can deal with it."

"They uh… They found her lying face down in a ditch off of the road by the _Cat Scratch Club_ , which is one of the local strip joints. She barely had a pulse when they pulled her out. She was in a coma for about two weeks. We finally got her to wake up, but she wouldn't give out too much information. Truth is, I think she knows the hospital bill is gonna be outrageous and she doesn't know who's gonna pay it once she… passes."

Percy was having a hard time believing it. Annabeth lying unconscious in a ditch? _His_ Annabeth? There's no way she could be so careless. Unless…

"How did she end up there in the first place?"

"Well, she tested positive on the drug tests we gave her. It's looking like she's got some kind of blood disease from sharing needles."

"You're wrong," Percy said, voice getting deeper. "There's no way you're telling the truth right now. Annabeth couldn't… Annabeth would never..."

"Like I said," Hazel interrupted. "Something screwed her up pretty bad."

* * *

 **So, I hope you guys liked the chapter! It was pretty long, wasn't it? Sorry I've been a little MIA lately... Finals are happening next week, and I'm taking the ACT tomorrow. We'll see how it goes... Believe me when I say that the more reviews I get, the more inclined I will be to update. Thanks for reading! I love you all :)**


	12. Write What You Know

Percy decided to get a hotel room for the night. That night turned into three nights, and before he knew it, he had been in Boston for an entire week. Most of his time was spent with Annabeth; the two of them would sit in her room and talk for hours on end. Percy never said anything about it, but he could tell that the mere act of talking seemed to be taking an outrageous amount of energy out of her. She would be drained after one simple conversation.

The best and easiest way to keep Annabeth entertained was simply by music. Percy managed to track down an old record player, much like the one that was sitting in his home, and a few ancient musical theatre vinyls. Despite not knowing every word to all the classic songs, Annabeth seemed to love every second of listening to the smooth notes echo through the cold room.

Percy never brought himself to ask her about what had happened while he was away; he found that he wasn't exactly too eager to know. He wanted to honor her wish of wanting to be happy.

Although, as she grew smaller and smaller, Percy found it more difficult to keep that smile on his face.

One brilliant Saturday, Percy entered the now familiar room with an enormous surprise for his best friend.

"Hey Annie," he said, just like he did every morning. And just like every morning, she would make an effort to smile and be happy that he had decided to come back again. "I've got a surprise for you today."

"Is it a puppy? Please say it's a puppy."

"You're gonna have to wait and find out."

"Percy, I'll already be dead by the time it get's here; why can't you just tell me now?"

"Okay, if you die before the surprise gets here, then you have permission to haunt me in the afterlife."

"I was planning on doing that anyway."

Fortunately, Annabeth did not die before the surprise got there, and boy was she ever so happy about that.

For the first time, Percy's smile felt genuine when he saw her reaction to Jason and Piper walking through the white hospital doors.

"No way!" Annabeth exclaimed, trying to sit up. "Holy shit, I can't believe you guys are here! What has it been, like six years, Jason?"

"Yeah, just about that." Jason said, trying keep his voice steady.

Even though Percy had warned them both of Annabeth's condition, neither of them were expecting it to be this bad. While Jason managed to hold it in decently, Piper's mascara was already starting to smear at the sight of her old best friend and roommate looking so weak. However, even if Annabeth noticed the crying, she didn't say anything about it.

"But Annie, this isn't the only surprise," Percy said, turning to Jason with a smile. "You got the thing?" he asked his comrade.

When Jason nodded "yes," it caused Annabeth to ask, "What's the thing? Come on, you guys can't just leave me hanging like this."

With a sly grin, Jason reached into his bag and pulled out an old, tattered looking record. It was a record that Percy hadn't seen in years; he stashed it away, in fact, in hopes of never having to look at it again. However, these were special circumstances.

"No fucking way," Annabeth said in disbelief, reaching out to hold it in her boney hands. "Is this the same-?"

"Same one you got me for Christmas? Yup. Now we can listen to real musical theatre in this place."

"You guys are the best!" she exclaimed, grey eyes lighting up with thrill. "Well, what are you waiting for? Crank up the _Spring Awakening_!"

It was amazing how much it felt like that Summer six years ago; all four of them crammed into a tiny space, listening to showtunes, and just being content with each other's presence. But they all knew that this was not that Summer. They all knew that this was most likely the last time they would ever all get to be together.

Sadly, Piper and Jason could only stay for the weekend; they both had lives to get back to. And while they had both managed to hold themselves together while saying "goodbye" and that "they'd be back as soon as they could," Percy spotted Jason comforting a sobbing Piper in the parking lot through the window.

Now that they had access to the _Spring Awakening_ vinyl, it was all Percy and Annabeth would listen to. Even Hazel would get caught lightly joining in on the melodies; they had played it too many times for her to not know the words.

About a day of so after Jason and Piper left, the familiar notes of "Left Behind" spun through the room. Percy hadn't really been paying too much attention, because he was far too busy trying to not think about how horrible Annabeth looked. He wasn't sure how it happened, but she had managed to get even paler ever since Percy had arrived. There were at least four IV's plugged into her arm, and a few machines that were hooked up to her. The doctors tried to explain what each of them did, but Percy didn't comprehend a single word they had said; the only thing he took away from it was that Annabeth wasn't getting better anytime soon.

So there they were; listening to showtunes, and just enjoying each other's company because they never knew which moment would be the last. It was a Sunday afternoon when Annabeth had said something that Percy hadn't been expecting.

"Ya know, I don't really blame Melchior anymore."

"Excuse me?" Percy questioned, realizing that this was an out of the blue thing to say, even for Annabeth. They had recently added a new prescription to her daily meds, and it made her more than a little loopy. Apparently, loopy enough to strike up a random conversation about a fictional character from a musical.

"I use to hate Melchior so much," she continued. "I mean, he knew what he was doing when he got Wendla pregnant. He knew exactly what the consequences were, even though she didn't. Man, I use to hate him so much for that. But now I realize that he was just doing what felt right at the time. And that's okay, I think."

Percy knew she wasn't really talking about Melchior.

"But you know who I'm really starting to hate? Natalie."

"Like, Natalie Goodman? From _Next to Normal_?"

"Yeah, yeah. Her. You want to know why? Because she had a wonderful brain, and a wonderful boyfriend who loved her, and then she got all over the drugs and it ruined her. It ruined everything she had going for her, and it almost killed her, and you know what Percy? You know what? I'm just… I'm not ready to die."

Percy sure as hell wasn't expecting that. He wanted to say something to comfort her; anything to help her feel better, but he was too shocked by the statement to think of anything worthwhile.

"And I know, I know I fucked up. I know I shouldn't have swapped needles so many times, but God I needed it so bad… I just couldn't do anything after you left, and I don't blame you or anyone but God I just fucked it all up. And I know I use to joke about wanting to be dead, and how I was gonna kill myself, but if I'm gonna die young I want it to be on my own terms. Just… 24 years isn't enough. And once I'm gone then I'm leaving behind some huge hospital bill that no one is gonna be able to pay because my parents still hate me and are probably gonna be happy that they're done with their awful little defective child. I'm not ready yet, Percy. I'm just not ready."

For the first time since she'd gotten sick, Annabeth cried. Pools of water fell down her hollow face. Percy pulled her into him and tried to calm her down, because he knew that if she didn't calm down soon, she would die right then and there. So he did the best he could do; rocked her back and forth and told her that it would all be okay.

 _"I love you for what you are. Don't worry about it; we can work through this"_

"It'll be fine, Annie. You'll get through this, I promise."

Percy was tired of lying to her.

After he finally calmed Annabeth down, Percy decided that he needed a breath of fresh air to calm himself down as well. Making sure that she was in good hands with Hazel, he ran down the three flights of stairs and pushed right through the revolving doors.

He took deep breaths, and wiped the tears that were threatening to escape. Pacing back and forth, he wanted to let out some rage, but there was nothing there for him to hit. So he ran.

He ran for one block, but that didn't quite feel right, so he ran another one. And another, and another, and another, and before he knew it, Percy had ran a mile away from the hospital. Even though he still didn't feel satisfied, he took another slow, deep breath, he began his journey back.

Percy was probably half a mile on his way to Boston General when he was stopped on the sidewalk by a young man. The guy had dark brown hair, and glasses covering his even darker brown eyes. He had a camera dangling around his neck, and a notepad sitting in his hand.

"You okay, man?" the guy asked, curiosity ringing through his voice.

"Define okay," Percy retorted.

"You mind if I ask what's wrong?"

"Why is it your business?"

"Well, it's kind of what I do for a living," the guy said, gesturing to his camera. "My name's Leo."

"Percy," he responded, feeling oddly trustworthy with this stranger.

"Well, okay then Percy," Leo started. "What's going on right now?"

Percy wasn't sure why, but there was something about this kid that made him just want to spill the truth. So that's what he did; he told him about Annabeth, and how they were madly in love, and how they ended it because he made a mistake, and now she's dying and there's nothing he could do about it. Leo had been snapping pictures here and there throughout their entire walk, but Percy hadn't taken too much note of that; he was too focused on the story he found himself telling.

When they finally reached the hospital, Percy told him that he had to go back inside and check on Annabeth. Leo nodded in understanding and bid him farewell.

He didn't think anything of it.

He didn't think anything of it until 6:03 that night, when a text came in from one of his old friends. Annabeth was currently having a few respiratory problems, so they made Percy leave so they could try and fix her; Percy wasn't thrilled about leaving her alone in there, but the doctors were hastily pushing him away before he could protest it.

All he could do was sit outside the room and wait for something to happen. And boy, Percy really hated just waiting. It made him feel so worthless, so unimportant. He wanted to help, he really did, but the doctors assured him that the best way for him to help for Annabeth was by just being there with her.

So when he felt his phone give off the standard text vibration, he glanced down at it in irritation, knowing that he wasn't going to care what it was.

This was one of the many times Percy was wrong about something.

He was moderately surprised to see that it was from Piper; they only ever really text when something about Annabeth had changed- Piper wanted to stay updated on the whole ordeal.

 ** _Piper-6:03_**

 ** _Have you seen this yet?_**

Attached to the simple wording was a screenshot of an unfamiliar website. Percy enlarged it, and had to do a double take when he saw it. It was… It was a picture of him? Yes, that was clearly a picture of him from earlier today that he didn't even know existed. Above the picture was a caption in quotation marks that read:

 _"I don't actually live Boston. I've only been here for a week and a half."_

 _"What brings you here?"_

 _"My high school best friend- well, she was actually my girlfriend. She's dying, and there wasn't anyone else willing to help her. It's a pretty bad scene, actually. I was shocked when they said that she wanted to see me of all people-we didn't really end on the best of terms- but I was the only one she really wanted. I haven't seen her in six years, but she's not the girl I left behind. Just so… I don't know, broken I guess."_

 **Percy-6:06**

 **What the hell is this?**

 ** _Piper-6:07_**

 ** _Have you never heard of People of Boston? This guy is like, nationally known for his power over social media. He goes around Boston, just talking to people and posting about it. It's actually a pretty cool site. But seriously, go check it out and read all the comments. It's crazy._**

With a growing curiosity, Percy googled "People of Boston" and was lead to a website that was filled with various people he had never seen before. Rather quickly, he clicked on the picture of himself and it enlarged. He reread the caption, but found himself scrolling down into the comments, and was shocked at some of the stuff he read.

 _Heartbreaking._

 _What a sweet young man! That girl is very lucky to have him._

 _Wait; but what happened between them? Leo, you need to find the girl!_

 _I want to hear her side of the story._

 _Such a sad story… I'd love to hear from the young lady if you manage to track her down._

 _Hey man, if you're reading this, know that you are doing the right thing._

Percy didn't even realize he was crying until a drop hit his phone's screen, blurring the image. There were hundreds, thousands of comments like this. Each one of them so positive, so kind and compassionate… Percy had almost forgotten that there were people like that still in the world.

Percy didn't get the chance to show the picture to Annabeth that night. Hazel assured him she would be fine, but couldn't have visitors until morning. Percy almost argued with her, but he realized there wasn't really a point in arguing with Hazel; if anyone was going to let him see Annabeth, it would be her.

After a rough night sleep, Percy was chugging some coffee outside the hospital when something drew him out of his caffeinated coma.

"Percy!" a voice called out from behind him. Percy turned around, somewhat surprised to see that guy with the camera from yesterday.

"Hey you're the guy with the website!" Percy exclaimed as the man (Leo?) drew closer.

Leo smiled sheepishly, "I guess you found the article I posted."

"Yeah, I sure did. I've been getting texts about it practically all night."

"Well, if you read any of the comments, you shouldn't be too surprised to see me."

"What?"

"Everyone was asking about your girlfriend. It seemed like they were all itching for a follow up on you guys. I figured I'd be able to find you out here. Is there any chance I can talk to her for a little bit? The fans would absolutely love it."

Percy hesitated. He wasn't sure how thrilled he was about his and Annabeth's relationship being plastered all over the internet for the world to see… But the way this guy looked at him with an innocent gaze, Percy had a hard time saying no.

"Yeah, okay," Percy agreed. "But I'm gonna have to ask her first."

"Oh, of course," Leo said, nodding profusely.

Percy trotted up the well-known three flights of stairs with Leo in his wake. A few of the nurses gave them odd looks as they were not used to seeing Percy with a companion.

"May I ask her name?"

 _"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm Annabeth, by the way."_

 _"Oh! I know who you are!"_

 _"It's kind of creepy that you know…"_

"Annabeth," Percy said. Even after all those years of trying his hardest to not even think about that name, it still rolled of the tongue so easily. There was something comfortable about it; Percy didn't think he'd ever get tired of saying it.

"Spelled the way it sounds?"

"Yep. No extra capitals, no spaces."

A look of connection flashed on Leo's face as he jotted down something on his pad.

"A-N-N-A-B-E-T-H? Huh, cool name."

They finally made it to room 315, and Percy gestured for Leo to wait for him outside. Leo nodded in understanding, and Percy slid through the door.

By the looks of it, Annabeth had recovered from her episode last night. She might've had an extra IV plugged into her arm, but that looked to be about it. When he entered, Annabeth's eyes jerked up and she smiled when she saw him.

"Hey there Mr. Celebrity," she said, her voice playfully weak.

"So I guess you heard?" said Percy, a sly grin skimming across his face.

"How could I not? I've had people from MRT texting me all night. I mean, most of it was

about this whole… situation and less about you becoming Tumblr famous overnight, but I got the jist of it."

"I'm glad you already know because that'll save me a lot of explaining."

She cocked her head to the side in confusion as she asked "What do you mean?"

"Well," Percy started. "I have someone out here who'd like to have a talk with you, if you're okay with that."

Annabeth took and excited breath as she said "No way?"

Opening the door, Percy gestured for Leo to come on in.

"Annie, this is Leo. He runs the People of Boston page, and he would like to interview you."

"Holy shit, this is awesome!" Annabeth exclaimed, her voice cracking as it got higher.

"You must be Annabeth," Leo said politely. "It's great to finally meet you."

"Ditto."

"So, do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Shoot."

"Okay, so when you were in high school…"

Percy zoned out slightly, not really in the mood to relive all of his high school memories. Every once and awhile, he would chime in a sarcastic remark, but it was still Annabeth's interview; he didn't want to make him about himself. After an hour and a few pictures later, Leo left with a bright smile and five pages worth of notes.

"I'm surprised he found us that interesting."

 _"I'll have you know, I find myself to be a_

 _vastly uninteresting person."_

"I'm not."

She smiled, visibly wincing as she did so.

"Whoa, you okay? Do I need to call Hazel in? I can-"

"Percy, it's fine."

"Annabeth, it is not fine, you're-"

"Still breathing."

"It isn't suppose to hurt when you take a breath, Annie."

" _It only hurts when I breath,_ " she sang with a laugh. When Percy shot her a glare, she replied, "Oh come on, you just walked yourself right into a _Next to Norma_ l joke."

This time when she tried to smile, her body began wracking with coughs. Starting in her elbow, she pulled away when her arm was splattered with blood. She looked up at Percy, fear evident in her eyes, and gave him a sad laugh, revealing her now red stained teeth.

 **Okay, I've said it before, but I'll say it again; this is also an independent novel that I have written. Therefor, every once and a while, I'll call the characters by a different name on accident. Just so you know, here's what they were named in the original book:**

 **Percy Jackson- Micah Holt (** **occasionally called Mic)**

 **Annabeth Chase- Maison Bailey (occasionally called Mace)**

 **Jason Grace- Devon Richards (occasionally called Dev)**

 **Piper McLean- Katie Beth Nichols (occasionally called KB)**

 **Leo Valdez- Eli Barnes**

 **Hazel- Libby**

 **Just thought I would clear that up for you guys! This was a happy (ish) chapter, because it's gonna get hella sad new time you guys read this... Or is it? I guess you'll have to read the next chapter to find out. And the only way to read the next chapter is by leaving a review! See you guys next time!**


	13. Who Lives

Percy Jackson was no doctor, but he figured that when a patient begins coughing up blood, it probably means that they don't have too much time left. Apparently, the nurses of Boston General Hospital had a similar ideology, because they were constantly in and out of Room 315, as if they were counting down the minutes until she died. It was like everyone else in the world had given up hope for Annabeth's recovery.

Everyone but Percy, that is. Because Percy wasn't one for just "giving up" when it came to Annabeth Chase. Those doctors and nurses didn't know her like Percy had; they never got to see her speed down an interstate, or dance her heart off on stage. They never got to experience that wild smile that would spread across her lips when a _Spring Awakening_ song would play on her phone. They never got to witness the light that burned in her eyes when she would begin discussing the things she was passionate about. _That_ was the Annabeth that Percy had fallen in love with.

However, it seemed as if the Annabeth that he had known all those years ago was now a figment of the past. Percy, who had known her better than anyone else, felt as if he was talking to a stranger in that hospital bed. This new Annabeth was just shoving more and more medication down her throat, stabbing more and more needles into her arm, and losing more and more color in her skin. She would sleep for hours, sometimes entire days on end.

Despite how reluctant Percy was to admit it, this Annabeth was far beyond repair.

It was a stormy Tuesday afternoon in Boston, Massachusetts when she said, "Hey, come up here."

That was the first thing she had said all day. Percy quickly glanced up from his phone to get a better look at her; her blonde hair was knotted and greasy, and its darkness made her pale skin look even more translucent. Her eyes, somehow managing to maintain that familiar grey shade, looked tired and ready to stay shut forever.

"Like, on the chair?" Percy questioned, initially confused at this odd request.

"No, dumbass," she smirked. "On the bed."

"Like, with you?"

"Well, I thought the reason we broke up was because I never went to bed with you, but now that I'm offering-"

"So funny I forgot to laugh," Percy interjected. However, he kicked his shoes off and climbed into the twin sized bed. It was very close in proximity, so Percy found himself having to wrap his right arm around her in order for them to both fit. It made Percy uncomfortable how tiny she had become; it felt as if she would fall right through him.

And for a moment they just lied there, content with each other's presence. Percy hadn't felt this satisfied in a long time. It was almost as if he could forget everything that had ever gone wrong between the two of them.

"God, I missed you so much," she suddenly whispered. "I really didn't think I'd ever get to see you again-"

 _Almost..._

"Shh, Annabeth please don't-"

"-but you came. I knew you'd keep your promise."

"Annabeth-"

She began coughing furiously. Her chest contracted violently, and she started quickly shaking in Percy's arms. The sound was disgusting; she kept trying to take a gasp of air, but it never quite reached her lungs. Blood splattered out of her mouth and onto her new white sheets. God, he didn't even realize someone could hold that much blood inside them... Percy almost immediately jumped back up to go find Hazel or another nurse, but Annabeth carefully pulled him back down.

"Perce," _cough,_ "just," _cough_ "leave it," _cough, cough, cough._

"Annie, you know I can't-"

"Please," she begged, looking him right in the eyes. Regaining her breath, she continued, "Just lie here with me. Just for a little bit."

Reluctantly obliging, Percy settled back in, once again wrapping his arm around her. She took the sleeve of her hospital gown, and used it to wipe the remaining blood off of her face.

"Remember… Remember when we first met?"

 _"If you're Batman,_

 _I get to be Robin."_

Percy felt his lips curve upwards as he recalled the memory. "You demanded then and there to be the Robin to my Batman."

Annabeth snickered as she said, "Yeah, I was pretty forward with people, even then."

"I don't know if I ever told you this," Percy started, "but I knew I was going to end up hopelessly in love with you the second you told me you knew who Stephanie Brown was."

That comment caused a similar smile to spread across her face.

"I don't think I can pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with you. Although, I first acknowledged my feelings when I forced you to listen to the entire _Next to Normal_ score in my car while I drove to Laconia and back."

 _"Thanks for the ride."_

 _"Thanks for the memories."_

"I remember that experience all too well," Percy half laughed. He felt water pooling up in his eyes, but he refused to let the tears fall. He knew that Annabeth wouldn't want to see him cry again. Her body began to tremble beneath his, and Percy almost stood up to go get a nurse, but she pulled him back again.

"Perce, I know I'm not gonna get another chance to say this-"

"Don't-"

"-but I'm so, so, sorry."

"No, Annabeth, don't you dare say that."

"I tried so hard to be enough. There was nothing I wanted more, but I knew that there was nothing else I would be able to give. And I'm just so sorry I put you through all of this."

"No, Annie, you don't have anything to apologize for. It was me, I'm the one who screwed up, I'm the one-"

"Percy, it's okay; I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago."

"I don't deserve that-"

"But you do. You deserve to be happy. You gave me all I could ever ask for. You loved me for the rest of my life."

"Annie, I'll love you for the rest of mine."

By now, Percy's shirt was now drenched in a mixture of blood, sweat, and tears. But he didn't care. He didn't give one damn about anything else in the world at that moment, because it felt like he finally had his Annabeth back.

"Percy… Percy, I'm scared."

 _"I know."_

"I know. It'll be okay, Annie. I promise it'll be okay. You're gonna be fine, we're gonna be fine… It'll be okay… It'll be okay…"

Percy looked down at her, hoping that he could once again seek comfort in her eyes, but he missed his chance. They were shut closed, and they were staying that way. She wasn't sleeping. She wasn't just lying down in exhaustion after a long rehearsal.

She's dead.

Percy was hardly aware of the various nurses flooding into the room in a rush. All he could focus on was the girl that was lying lifeless in his arm. He felt a nurse try and gently pull him off of the body, but he wasn't ready to let go.

"Sir, I need you to come with me."

"No…"

"Sir, I'm afraid you can't be in here right now."

"No, she's not-"

"Mr. Jackson-"

"Please just-"

"I'm sorry, but you need to leave the room right now."

"I can't, she's my… she's my…"

Percy wasn't sure what to say. He had lost the privilege of calling her his girlfriend years ago. But calling her a friend… It seemed almost criminal to downgrade their relationship to a term that simple.

"She's my Robin."

* * *

 **Kinda short, kinda sad. There's still another two chapters next, so stick around! Please review!**


	14. Who Dies

The funeral was a quiet one. Annabeth hadn't exactly kept up with most of her high school buddies, and no one really knew exactly who she associated herself with in college.

Of course Piper and her family was there, along with Jason and his. They all sat up in the front row with Percy. Percy noticed that an unfamiliar man, maybe three or four years older than himself, sitting in the back with his head hung down. After a little bit of thought, Percy found out that it was Annabeth's older brother, Luke. Back in high school, Annabeth didn't talk about Luke all that much; Percy had always gotten the sense that they were not as close as most siblings were. But by the looks of it, Luke was seemingly upset over his sister's passing.

It almost made Percy angry that Luke was here and grieving. He hadn't spoken to his sister in years, and now he thinks he can be sad about it? That wasn't fair. Percy was the one who stayed with her for three solid weeks-

But then he remembered that he was also the one who left her alone for six years when she needed him most, so he figured he wasn't really one to talk.

Her parents were there too. Percy openly refused to look at them; he knew for a fact that they didn't deserve to be here. Honestly, he wouldn't have been surprised if they had just learned about her illness.

Percy wasn't able to bring himself to look up as they lowered the simple wooden box into the ground. He partially wished that they hadn't cremated her, perhaps in hopes that he could catch one last glimpse at her eyes… But Percy knew that Annabeth didn't want her body to remain intact after her death.

 _"I want you to know here and now_

 _that I expect to be cremated. I want to_

 _be sure that I'm actually dead before_

 _ya'll put me six feet under."_

The tombstone was almost as simple as the cremation box; Annabeth wasn't one for anything big or elaborate. The polished rock read:

 _Annabeth Jane Chase_

 _March 14th, 1997-May 5th, 2021_

There was no "beloved daughter and friend" written on the stone, because Percy knew that it wouldn't be true. She was not a beloved daughter. She only really had three friends that she hadn't spoken to in six years, so they hardly even counted. Percy had spent too much time lying to Annabeth when she was alive to let that lie follow her to the grave.

"Hey Percy," said a voice from behind him. He didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Piper. Even with her eyes stained red, Percy had to admit she looked stunning. Annabeth had mentioned sometimes how hard it was hang out with Piper in public, because even with Annabeth trying her absolute hardest to look incredible, Piper would always find a way to look better.

"Hey Pipes," Percy said, the first time he had spoken throughout the entire funeral. "How're you holding up?"

"I feel like I should be asking you the same question."

"Been better."

"Haven't we all?" she took a shaky breath. "She really loved you, you know."

"I know."

"Look, Percy," Piper said. "I know we've never been on the best of terms, but I don't want you to beat yourself up over this. Annabeth would've wanted you to be happy."

"I'm not just going to forget her-"

"I'm not asking you to forget her. God knows I never will. But you can still remember Annabeth and move on with your life. Because I know even though you wanted to love her, and I mean really, really love her, we both know the truth; you haven't felt that kind of love for her since that hotel room in New York, and you know it."

Slightly offended by this accusation, he argued, "How do you-"

"Because I know that there's different kinds of love. What you and Annabeth had was a really rare thing, but it was still valid. It was still love."

She started to walk away, but quickly turned back around as another thought crossed her mind.

"Oh," she said, reaching into her purse. "I have this for you. I took it back at graduation. I meant to send it to Anna, but I don't think I ever got around to it. I thought you might want it."

In her hand was an old polaroid picture. It was a little wrinkled, but Percy had no problem making out the image; it was of him and Annabeth after she had graduated. She had the brightest smile on her face… She just looked so happy. Her hair was flowing down her back, long, curly, and vibrant. She was noticeably bigger than when Percy had last seen her, probably weighing 40 pounds more.

This was the Annie he remembered.

In a near silent voice, Percy whispered, "Thanks, Pipes."

As she turned away, she said "You know, Percy, there's such thing as a platonic soulmate. I hope you keep that in mind."

And just like that, Piper was gone.

Percy was ready to get back to his home in New York; he had all but abandoned his life out there, and he knew he needed to pick it back up. But there was still more to do in Boston…. a hospital bill to pay…

"Percy, I need to talk to you."

The now-familiar voice snapped Percy out of his trance.

"Leo?" he questioned, turning around to see the man wearing a simple, black, button down shirt with some dress pants. The camera that usually hung along his neck was missing, but Percy had assumed that it wasn't too far away.

"Yeah, hi," Leo said, his mind obviously elsewhere. "I read about Annabeth in the paper- I don't usually get involved in my subjects lives, but I couldn't just not come. I'm so, so sorry for your loss."

"Yeah, me too."

"How're you doing? Are you going back to New York soon?"

"I wish," Percy told him. Leo cocked his head in confusion, so Percy elaborated. "Annabeth didn't exactly have a steady income, or decent health insurance. I gotta hang around here and figure out how I'm gonna pay this hospital bill."

"What about her parents? Surely they could help-"

"No way in hell. They wrote her off the will the moment she told them about… about you know what."

Leo nodded in understanding, and then a thought flashed across his eyes. But just as quick as it appeared, the thought dissolved into the air.

"Percy, did you ever see the post I made about her?"

"The what? Oh, no. Sorry, I didn't really have time to check it out."

"You might want to give it a look. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Percy said, his mind not really too invested at the conversation at hand.

Percy figured he would never see Leo Valdez again.

 **Kind of a** **shitty** **chapter, but this section was quite difficult to write. Hopefully I'll be able to make it better someday. As for now, this story is officially posted on** **FictionPress** , **only with the original names I had for the characters. Feel free to go check it out! Please review!**


	15. Who Tells Your Story

It was 1:34am when Percy finally brought himself to look at the website. He was still in his scummy hotel room in Boston, his laptop open and three empty beer bottles to his right. Slowly typing in "People of Boston" into the search bar, the website popped up. Pictures of unfamiliar people plastered the screen, but Percy's eyes were immediately drawn to the one familiar face.

 _"I think it's fair to say that I screwed up a little bit on the way- okay, I swear I didn't mean to make that rhyme. But yeah, I made a few mistakes. But you know, who hasn't? Everyone screws up at some point in their life, just some mistakes just turn out to be a little more catastrophic. It was by sheer dumb luck that this was the card I was dealt. Now, Percy might try and tell you that this was all his fault, but don't listen to him. He's doing everything he can. God, I missed him so much. But he's here now… He's here, and I couldn't be happier."_

Percy didn't even realize he was angry until one of those empty beer bottles ended up smashed across the wall. His eyes were buried in his hands as he tried to stop the tears from coming out…

"Stop crying.," Percy muttered beneath his breath. "Stop crying, God dammit, stop crying."

 _"No, Percy don't cry._

 _I'm so, so happy right now._

 _Please don't cry."_

He couldn't stop. His body was shaking, and he just couldn't calm himself down. His breath became harsh and he couldn't seem to fill his lungs with air no matter how hard he tried. He just couldn't do it… He just couldn't…

 _"I'm sorry I wasn't enough for you."_

"No," Percy breathed out, his words getting caught in his throat. "You were everything to me."

Percy didn't have anyone to calm him down this time, so he knew that he had to do it himself. Somehow, he managed to pull his hands away from his eyes, and glanced back at the computer screen. Scrolling down, he saw a few of the comments that strangers had made on the picture of Annabeth.

 _Beautiful girl, beautiful heart. I wish her the best in life._

 _Absolutely tragic what is happening. It's a good thing she has that boy to keep her together._

 _Ugh, my heart hurts after reading this._

 _Even sick, that young lady has the most beautiful grey eyes._

 _I know she's dying and all, but damn those eyes._

 _Stunning eyes._

 _I want more of these two! They're so cute together!_

Reading some of the comments made Percy smile; it was nice to see that he wasn't the only one in awe of her eyes anymore. He was just about to read a few more, when there was a ping on the screen. It read: _One new post from Leo Valdez._

Somewhat intrigued, Percy clicked on the link, and almost had to look again when he realized that this time, it was a picture of him and Annabeth together. They were both smiling in the hospital room, the record player clearly on and playing.

 _"Back when we were in high school he made me listen to his album literally all the time."_

 _"Hey, that's not fair; you drove around for an extra hour to get me to listen to Next to Normal."_

 _"Totally guilty of that. My favorite song on here is 'Don't Do Sadness'. When he's in a good mood, I can get Percy to sing it with me. We sang it countless times when we road tripped to New York"_

 _"Ah yes, yet another time Annabeth made me get in that little bug of hers and forced me to go on an impromptu adventure."_

 _"Oh, shut up. You loved every second of it."_

 _"Okay, maybe I did."_

 _Annabeth Chase passed away on May 5th around 3:00 in the afternoon. Due to financial difficulties, she was unable to pay the hospital for her care. I don't usually ask this of you, but I urge you to help Percy with this task, and please make a donation. Every penny counts. I know Percy would appreciate all the help he can get._

The note at the bottom threw Percy for a loop. While he appreciated Leo's efforts, he knew that there was no way a bunch of strangers were going to donate money to help someone they didn't even know.

But for what felt like the millionth time in his life, Percy was proved wrong the next morning.

His computer was still open from the previous night, so the first thing he saw was the millions of comments beneath that little picture of them.

 _Devastating to hear about. I'll gladly donate._

 _Annabeth is now in a better place. Sending my condolences to Percy and the family._

 _This is the problem with America today. This girl is dying, and they won't even pay her bill._

 _Donating without question._

 _My heart goes out to Percy; this is a horrible tragedy._

 _So sorry for your loss._

Out of pure curiosity sake, Percy clicked on the donation link. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw what was on the screen: _GOAL MET; FEEL FREE TO DONATE MORE IF YOU WISH._

Had… Had Leo just found a way to pay for the hospital bill? Unsure if he believed it, Percy dialed the number of Boston General.

"Boston General Hospital, how may I help you?"

"Um yeah, I'm calling to pay a bill."

"May I ask the name of the patient?"

"Yeah, uh… Annabeth Chase."

Percy faintly heard the sound of keys clattering in the background, and then the receptionist finally responded.

"Sir, that bill has already been taken care of."

"So… So that's it?"

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No… No, I think I'm good. Thank you."

"Have a good day."

"Yeah, you too."

Percy couldn't believe it. Strangers… Strangers who had never even heard of him had just helped him in more ways that he could possibly imagine.

His first instinct was to tell Annabeth; she was the person he always went to when he had big news like this. But he couldn't tell Annabeth, so he did the next best thing.

Grabbing his phone, he opened his messaging app. Scrolling all the way to the bottom of his messages, he clicked on the box that he hadn't typed to in years. It all felt so familiar, seeing that name at the top of the screen. Without much thought, Percy typed:

 **Percy-9:34**

 **Hey Annie, you'll never believe what happened today...**

* * *

 **And that's it for this story! I hope you all enjoyed the ride! I know I had a lot of fun writing it. Like I said, if you want to check out the original version of this story (frankly, the better version of this story), look it up on FictionPress. It's got the same title; The Humanistic Defect. Thank you if you reviewed or followed this story- it really meant the world to me. Please review to let me know your final thoughts! 2016! Happy New Year!**


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